


Cherries in the Summer

by catjeno



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Fluff, Ice Cream Parlors, Light Angst, M/M, Mermaids, Ocean, mermaid!donghyuck, the angst gets resolved in 1 chapter tho lmaoao
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-04
Updated: 2019-11-26
Packaged: 2020-06-09 14:01:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 23,222
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19477378
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/catjeno/pseuds/catjeno
Summary: When Mark was young he met a mermaid with brilliant red hair and who shined like the sun.  Of course, no one believed him; mermaids aren't real.  Now, more than fifteen years later, they meet again.  And all it took was for two people to almost die.





	1. Jisung Really Doesn't Like Crabs

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'd recommend listening to red velvet while reading this if you want to bc i did while writing and it was an Experience

_I hope we’ll meet soon. Sincerely, Mark._ Mark finished the letter, looking it up and down for grammar or spelling mistakes. When he was content that there were none, he rolled the notebook paper up and gently slid it through the mouth of an old Corona bottle.

He could’ve just used a brand new bottle—the craft store near his house sold them for a reasonable price—but so many people threw empty bottles on the shore that Mark figured it was cheaper and better for the environment to just clean those out and use them instead. But because of this he cut himself on broken glass so often when searching for them that Renjun now gifted him bandaids on a regular basis.

In fact, Mark was wearing one right now, having cut himself earlier that morning while trying to find the very bottle he had just put his letter in. He fiddled with the heart-dotted bandaid as he made the short trek from his (well, his _parents’_ ) house to the beach, a small smile crowning his lips when he felt the crumbling asphalt give way to fine white sand beneath his shoes. Mark loved the beach, it was as simple as that.

But apparently so did everyone else, because he’d been yelled at more than once for doing what he was about to do. Putting a bottle on the shore was a lot harder than Mark supposed it should be, judging by the amount of trash in the sand dunes. There was a way to avoid getting caught though, he just had to go out at night when no one could see him. Unfortunately he couldn’t do that today; he had his shift until 8 then had promised Chenle he’d go crab hunting afterwards along with Renjun and Jisung.

Chenle loved crab hunting, he was scared of bugs but loved crabs and frogs. It was a little childish but Mark liked it too. He just never admitted that to Renjun. Jisung, however, hated crabs, but was coming along anyways because it was with his friends, so why not? Plus, they didn’t actually kill the crabs, they just looked at them then let them go.

Mark turned his attention back to the bottle, double checking that it was sealed well enough. He looked around. No one was nearby, which was a little weird on a sunny afternoon like today but not that uncommon. He took a deep breath, reeled his arm back, and threw the bottle as far as he could into the ocean. It landed in the waves with a cheery splash.

He always felt bad doing that, after all it was technically littering. But he hoped the receiver of the letters had a way to recycle the bottles or something. He also hoped that the receiver was the only one that ever got the chance to read his notes, because who knows how embarrassing it would be for Mark if people knew that he wrote letters to a mermaid.

They met when Mark was young, more than 15 years ago. Mark had snuck off to the beach—he loved it back then just as much as he loved it now—because Renjun had given him a very pretty seashell recently and Mark wanted to return the favor.

Renjun had always loved shells. When he was younger he simply liked to collect them but now he painted them. At this point in time though, being barely five years old and having no clue how to even hold a paintbrush, he was in the collecting phase.

The thing about shells though, is that the sheer number of them is overwhelming. Each one Mark saw was more vibrant and unique than the next, how would he ever pick out the perfect one?

“Hey, what are you doing?” a voice asked.

“Looking for shells,” Mark responded without looking up from the sand. “I want to give one to my friend but he needs the very best one and I don’t know which to pick.”

“I could help.”

“Really?”

“Yeah! I love seashells!”

Mark jerked his head up, eager to see his new friend. Most people would have immediately noticed that a little boy seemingly came out of nowhere and was now swimming in the ocean, and _oh my gosh where are his parents? He could drown._ But Mark was five, and five year olds don’t think like adults do.

“Woah, your hair is so red!”

The boy grinned. “You like it?” Mark nodded vigorously, awestruck. He had never seen a red this stunning on someone’s hair before, he just assumed it wasn’t possible, but this boy’s hair was brighter than a firetruck.

“What type of shell does your friend like?” Mark paused, thinking.

“I don’t think he cares,” he said eventually. “He just likes the ones with pretty patterns. Special ones too, like rare ones.”

“Special? Hmm.” The boy was silent for a moment. Mark studied him, realizing specs of gold flaked his tan cheeks, almost like… tiny scales.

“I think I’ve got something he’d like.” The boy pulled out a shell and held it up. Mark approached him, trodding into the calm waves to get a closer look. “I was gonna bring this back home but I think your friend would like it more. It’s a _cinctura lilium_ , or banded tulip.”

“Woah, you know the smart person name for it?”

The boy laughed. “It’s called a scientific name, and yeah, I do. I also know that banded tulips are usually a red and brown color but this one has a bunch of blue on it. See?” He was right. The shell, about the size of his small index finger, was streaked with navy. “The blue makes it special, so I think your friend’ll like it. You have to come closer if you want it, I can’t go on land.”

“Why not?” That was odd. Weren’t humans supposed to be on land?

“Just come over here and you’ll see.” Mark obeyed, wading deeper into the water to reach the boy. The sea was up to his chest now, salty water soaking through his shorts and shirt. As he got closer it became obvious why the boy couldn’t go on land: he didn’t have legs. Instead a dazzling golden tail jutted out from beneath his waist, shimmering vividly under the water.

Mark stared, wonder snatching his breath away. “You’re a mermaid.” He said it quietly, delicately, as if being too loud would spoil a secret. The boy nodded, pressing the shell into Mark’s hand. It was smooth and cool to the touch. “Thank you,” Mark said, looking into his eyes. They were a brilliant shade of blue, even rivaling the brightness of the red of his hair. Mark was about to speak again when someone yelled his name. His parents were looking for him.

“Someone’s coming,” the mermaid said. “I’m sorry, I have to go. I hope your friend likes the shell!” He turned around and dove under the bright blue water.

“Wait!” Mark tried to follow, but a pair of hands grabbed him and lifted him out of the sea.

“Sweetie, you can’t run off like that without us,” his father said. “The ocean can be dangerous.”

“But the mermaid!” Mark struggled in his father’s grip but couldn’t escape.

“There’s nothing out there. Just water.”

“But there is! I saw him! I talked to him!”

His mother chuckled. “You and your imagination.”

“It’s true!” Mark protested. His parents just smiled and suggested that they should all get ice cream because it was a hot day. Mark sighed, accepting the suggestion albeit begrudgingly.

Mark knew it was stupid, putting letters in bottles for a mermaid, he’d never once even gotten a response, but he’d been doing it for over 15 years. When he was younger, he wrote them in hopes to be the boy’s friend, and thought maybe they would go on an adventure together or something, but now he just did it out of habit. He stared out towards the horizon, wondering how the mermaid boy would feel to know that Renjun still had that banded tulip, in fact it was one of his favorite shells. Maybe Mark should tell him that in his next letter.

His phone buzzed, snapping him out of his thoughts. Chenle had texted him “countdown to 8: 4hrs 7min !!!! see u soon :)”

“Wait, it’s already 3:53?” Mark said aloud. His shift started at four, he was going to be late again. He spun around on his heels and sprinted from the direction that he came from, very much regretting that he didn’t take his car to the beach.

**· · · · ·**

“So you were late _again_? How have they not fired you yet?” Jisung asked, laughing. It was now a little past 8 and Mark had just finished closing up the little ice cream shop where he worked. They were now in his car, driving to one of the many public beaches nearby. Renjun sat in the passenger seat while Chenle and Jisung were messing around in the back.

“Come on, I haven’t been late that often!”

“Maybe not this month,” Jisung fired back. Mark let out an exasperated sigh, pulling into a parking spot. The lot was relatively empty as not many people stayed at the beach after sunset.

“Woah, the waves look really strong,” Chenle said, staring up at the dark shore. He was right; white crested caps thundered into the sand. The wind had also picked up since that afternoon.

“It’s supposed to rain later,” Renjun said.

“How soon is later?” Jisung asked warily. Renjun shrugged.

“It’s okay, we’ll just go back if it rains,” Chenle said as he opened the trunk to pull out two plastic nets he had bought at Walmart and three flashlights before handing them out and starting towards the beach. Once he was near the waves, it only took him only about three seconds to find a crab.

“Guys look! I got one!” He held up the cheap blue net, showing off a white crab inside that was about the size of his palm. Jisung shrunk back slightly. “Come on, Jisung. It’s just a little crab.”

“I don’t like them, though!” At this Chenle shoved the net in Jisung’s face, who lurched backwards, irritated waves now lapping up to his ankles. “Fine, if you wanna be like that...” Jisung lunged forward suddenly and tackled Chenle. The pair tumbled to the ground and Chenle dropped the net in the sand.

“Oh, you’re dead, Park Jisung!” Chenle got up and scrambled away from his friend, who was trying to grab his leg to pull him down again. After this tactic proved to be unsuccessful, Jisung got up as well, but was immediately tackled right into the waves by Chenle.

“Look out!” Renjun yelled. Too late. An enormous wave broke on top of the two boys, shoving them underwater. Chenle reappeared a second later, his now sopping hair plastered to his face. Jisung, however, did not emerge.

“Where’s Jisung?” The three squinted at the waves, trying to spot anything in the near blackness. The thing most people don’t realize about the beach is just how dark it gets at night. There’s no street lights in the sand, no cities on the waves, only a void of black sea and sky.

Mark stepped into the water, feeling it pull at his feet. “The current’s so strong.”

“Wait, I think I see him!” Renjun yelped. He pointed to a mass in the near-pitch water. Mark could vaguely see Jisung’s form, but the boy wasn’t moving.

“He looks unconscious! We have to save him!”

Renjun’s eyes darted around the water. “But the waves are too strong. Look how far out he is, that might be a riptide. You could drown!”

“Well _he’s_ going to drown if we don’t do something!” Mark threw his flashlight in the sand and waded into the water. He felt the current tugging at his legs, threatening to drag him under if he took one wrong step. It took a while to reach Jisung, the frothy surf kept pounding into him and he lost his balance several times, but he eventually made it. He grabbed Jisung and pulled him onto his back. The boy was indeed unconscious, his lanky body hung limp around Mark.

“Mark! Big wave!” Chenle screamed from the shore. Mark turned, having just enough time to take a deep breath before said wave slammed into his head, knocking him and Jisung under the water. His vision went completely black, Mark couldn’t tell which way was up and which way was down. There was only darkness and the ocean surging in his ears. He had to save Jisung, he couldn’t let him drown.

Mark struggled, but the current was too much, and Jisung’s unmoving body only added dead weight. Mark’s lungs screamed in agony, he couldn’t hold his breath any longer. He opened his mouth, sucking in nothing but saltwater. He coughed, trying to rid the sea from his mouth and chest but to no avail. He could feel the liquid blackness squeezing the life out of him. He was going to drown.

Mark’s eyes fluttered, his oxygen-deprived mind wandering off to a world of shimmering gold and scarlet. Dully, he realized someone was yelling for him. He tried to talk, but his lips were so heavy, they wouldn’t budge. Maybe he could just stay like this for a while…

“Wake up!”

Mark shot up, coughing up a lung-full of water. Though his spinning vision, he realized he was laying next to Jisung on the shore. Light rain pattered onto his face.

“Hey, are you okay?” That voice, it didn’t sound like Renjun or Chenle. Mark looked up towards its source and gasped. A boy his age with messy firetruck-red hair was staring at him. Mark stared back, right into his intense blue eyes.

Other than being older and the two tiny braids that he now wore near the front of his head, he looked exactly the same since they’d last met. “Haechan?” Mark wheezed.

The boy paused, clearly surprised, and studied Mark up and down. Then his face lit up. “Mark?” Mark nodded. Haechan laughed and threw his whole body around him. “I’ve missed you!” Mark lifted his arms to return the hug but Haechan pulled away abruptly, turning wordlessly to Jisung.

He rolled him onto his side and put his fingers to Jisung’s chest. A light flashed and water spurted out of Jisung’s mouth. Haechan put his face near Jisung’s and smiled. “He’s breathing. You’ll have to wait for him to wake up, but he’s alive. He might have a concussion but he’s gonna be fine.”

“Thank you,” Mark breathed. “But how did you know where we were?”

Haechan shrugged. “Honestly I just happened to be nearby.”

Their attention was snapped away when they heard Renjun calling Mark’s name. His voice was raw, desperate.

“Renjun! I’m over here!” Mark called back hoarsely, trying not to throw himself into a coughing fit.

“I have to go,” Haechan said suddenly.

“What? But you just got here. It’s been _years_ , are you just going to leave?”

“I know, I just…” Haechan gestured in the direction where Renjun’s voice had come from. “As tempting as a little more excitement is, I can’t have them seeing me. I’m sorry, I know it’s been a long time but I’ll explain everything later. Can you come back here tomorrow night?”  
“Yeah but…”

“Mark, you’ve waited this long,” Haechan winked, “so what’s another day?”

“Haechan—”

But the merman had already turned to leave, sliding rather ungracefully from the sand back into the waves. “This time tomorrow!” was all he said before disappearing under the choppy water.

Renjun and Chenle showed up only moments later, neither looking well. Chenle had obviously been crying and Renjun looked plain exhausted, eyes still wide from earlier panic. Chenle enveloped Mark in a tight hug. “Thanks for saving him. But that was really dumb,” he sniffled. Mark laughed weakly, then glanced over at Renjun who was checking Jisung’s pulse.

“He’s breathing," Renjun said, "but we should take him to the hospital. There’s a pretty big bump on his head.”

“I can carry him.” Mark stood up, ignoring his protesting limbs. He tried his best to not lean on Chenle for balance. Apparently it wasn’t convincing, because Renjun shook his head. 

“No, it’s fine,” he insisted. “Look at you, Mark. I can see your legs shaking. You've done more than enough tonight, don't worry. I can drive to the hospital too.” Mark nodded, secretly relieved. He honestly didn’t think he could pick up Jisung if he tried, and his mind was definitely too scrambled right now to focus on driving a car. Chenle helped Renjun hoist Jisung onto his back before returning to Mark’s side. Mark wrapped a weak arm around his shoulder, leaning on him heavily now that there was no need to put up his little act anymore. They walked in silence back to Mark’s car, none of them really having anything to say. “Is he gonna be alright?” Chenle asked as they set Jisung in the back seat. 

Something Haechan said had popped into Mark’s mind: He’s gonna be fine. “Yeah, I think he will,” Mark said. Chenle smiled, getting in the car.

Mark shivered in the rain, staring out at the black sea. “You okay, Mark?” Renjun asked, handing him a colorful beach towel that had been in the trunk. He sounded just as tired as Mark felt.

“Ah yeah, sorry.” Wrapping himself in the towel, he turned and got in the passenger’s seat, once again thankful that Renjun volunteered to drive despite his tiredness.

As they drove Mark’s mind wandered, somehow connecting in its tired state that Haechan had responded to the name ‘Haechan’, a name that Mark had given him only after they first met. Which meant that either that was the mermaid’s real name, or…

“You read my letters,” Mark mumbled to himself, smiling as the slight rocking of the car lulled him to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ok if u made it this far without clicking away from boredom then you a real homie and i thank you
> 
> also fun fact: literally the only reason this au exists is because i was on vacation in florida and saw a pretty sunset on the beach and my brain went "norenmin au with renjun in his we young sailor outfit and mermaids nomin !!!!!" but then i turned around and made a markhyuck au instead so oops


	2. Ice Cream and Seaweed

Mark stared into the dark sea, waiting. The water was much calmer now than it had been last night, something he was extremely grateful for. He yawned. What with almost drowning and all the worrying over Jisung, the past 24 hours had been pretty tiring.

Jisung was still at the hospital; he’d woken up sometime in the middle of the night (and was greeted by lots of apologizing and hugs from Chenle), but the doctors wanted to keep him there an extra day to make sure he was alright. He had a mild concussion but would get released tomorrow morning if everything seemed normal.

Something splashed in the darkness in front of Mark. He jerked, still a little jumpy from the events of last night, but settled when he saw Haechan’s head emerge. “You’re here!” He got closer, letting the calm sea climb up to his ankles.

“Aww, you sound excited. Did you miss me?” Haechan made a kissy face towards Mark. “It’s okay,” he smirked, “I guess I missed you too, maybe just a little, though.”

Mark smiled, taking a seat in the surf so he could be eye-level with Haechan. “Well I think you’ve got some explaining to do. Like why haven’t we seen each other since we were young?”

“Jumping straight to the point I see. Very good question, Mr. Lee!” He flashed a thumbs up, showing off a stupid grin. “The answer is probably the most cliche thing ever: I can’t have humans seeing me. I knew that the first time we met, but I was also a little kid, so…” He trailed off, shrugging. “I’ve been wanting to talk to you again, but even seeing you at night like this is pretty dangerous. If people see me and start searching the ocean for mermaids it won’t be very long until they find us. I didn’t want to put everyone in danger.”

“It’s that serious, huh?” Haechan nodded. There was a brief moment of silence before Mark remembered something. “Did you ever...um...have you…” Haechan quirked an eyebrow at him. “Well it’s just that you responded to ‘Haechan’ last night. Does that mean…?”

“I’ve been reading your letters?” Haechan finished his sentence. “Yeah. And I think I know more about you than I do about me.” Mark laughed. “I mean you put a _lot_ of stuff in those. And you’re so formal in them, what’s with that? ‘Sincerely, Mark.’ Come on, I’m younger than you."

Mark's face reddened. "I didn't know that."

"Well now you do.” He stilled, squinting at Mark. “Now that I think about it, that might be the _only_ thing you know about me. I have an idea, you get to ask me three questions, then I get to ask you one and we'll switch off like that. And since you've technically already asked me three, it's my turn."

Though Mark rolled his eyes, a small smile teased his lips. He liked how easygoing Haechan was, it already felt as if they were close friends. But it _was_ a little weird realizing that someone who was basically a stranger knew about every single incident he had accidentally swallowed chewing gum when he was little, and yet he didn't even know the stranger's age.

"What's that on your hand?" Haechan cocked his head to the side, pointing to the bandaid below Mark's pinky finger. The one he had on today was decorated with tiny yellow chicks.

Mark gawked at Haechan, waiting for him to say that he was joking. "That's your question?" Haechan nodded. "It's just a bandaid. I cut my hand on some broken glass yesterday."

Haechan snorted. "Humans wear bandages with chickens on them when they get a cut? No wonder you guys are so weird."

Mark still couldn’t tell if Haechan was joking or not. "Well this one has chicks on it, most are just tan. Renjun gave me these decorative ones because I cut my hand a lot.”

“Ah, so _you’re_ just the weird one. That makes sense." There was a moment of silence. Mark realized Haechan was staring at him for some reason. “So are you gonna ask anything? It’s your turn.”

“Oh, right.” That explains the stare. He paused for a moment, noticing how the golden scales on Haechan’s tail glinted in the moonlight. “How about… am I crazy? Like, I’m really sitting on the beach talking to a mermaid right now. This can’t be real.”

“Do you need me to pinch you? Because I’ll gladly do that.” Haechan extended his arm out, reaching for Mark’s leg. Mark laughed, pulling his leg towards himself to get away from Haechan’s grabbing fingers.

“No, I’m good.” He sighed. “I guess I’m just so happy we finally met again, it feels too good to be true. It’s been so long, I was starting to think I had imagined our first meeting.”

“I really am sorry I couldn’t contact you,” Haechan said quietly. The salty night breeze blew playfully through his damp hair. “Paper doesn’t exactly do well in water.”

“It’s fine,” Mark insisted. “We’re here now, we’re talking to each other. It all worked out, don’t worry.” He shot Haechan a reassuring smile, hoping that he didn’t seem too cheesy just now. “Anyways, here’s my next question: you’re not, like, royalty or something, are you? I don’t wanna get killed by some sea animal for talking to you.”

Haechan giggled. It was light and high, like a tinkling bell. “Nah, I wish. If we get caught talking then it’s gonna be me who’ll get in trouble. Oh, and speaking of getting caught…” He glanced around at the dark waves and moonlit sky, biting his lip. “People might get suspicious if I don’t go back soon. I mean, my parents already want to put a tracker on me. They’d kill me if they found out I went to the shore.”

“They’re just worried.”

“Yeah, but I should be able to just go do stuff on my own. I know it’s dangerous, but I’m not a little kid anymore.”

“I don’t know, you definitely still sound like one,” Mark said with a smirk. Haechan responded by sending a very generous splash onto Mark.

“ _Anyways_ ,” Haechan said, his tone clear that it was time to change the subject, “I’d love to hear your last question, but I since I need to be going now, I’ll ask mine instead. Do you want to meet my friends?”

“Your friends?” Mark asked. Haechan nodded, expectant. “Yeah, yeah, I’d love to.” He didn’t miss how Haechan’s eyes lit up at that. Amazing how this boy had wit as fierce as his scarlet hair but could instantly turn into a puppy when he was excited.

“Are you free tomorrow afternoon?” Mark nodded. “Great! You know the pier over there?” Haechan pointed to his right, where a large pier a few miles down the shore stood. Mark nodded, he actually worked not far from there. “Go there tomorrow at 3 p.m. and I’ll meet you.”

“But aren’t people gonna see you? That’s the middle of the afternoon.”

“I’ll risk it this time. Anything for my Prince Eric.”

Mark snorted as Haechan turned back to the ocean. “Alright, Ariel.” He stood up to leave before something came to mind. “Wait! Haechan!” Haechan spun around to look at him. “Do you like strawberries?”

“Never had them,” Haechan yelled back before disappearing under the waves.

· · · · ·

“Hey Mark, are you okay? You seem really distracted today.”

“I’m fine,” Mark waved Yukhei’s question off, turning to a customer that had just walked in. Yukhei eyed Mark the whole time, clearly he didn’t believe his lie. Mark felt his stare and turned to face him once the customer had left. “Fine. You want the truth? Because it’s going to sound so crazy.”

“Try me,” Yukhei challenged, leaning on the teal-painted counter. Mark had to restrain himself in telling Yukhei that his nametag—a shiny plastic thing that read "Lucas" instead of "Yukhei" because customers generally had difficulty pronouncing his actual name—was crooked on his uniform.

“Okay, but you don’t get to call me insane.” Mark took a deep breath, glancing up towards one of the many fans on the ceiling that helped keep the shop below room temperature. It was always cold in here, mainly to assist the freezer in preventing the ice cream from melting, but also because outside was usually sweltering thanks to the hot sun and frequent humidity. Many people came in here just to escape the heat—the ice cream was just a nice bonus for them.

“After our shift ends I’m meeting a mermaid that’s gonna introduce me to his friends.” Yukhei stared at him blankly for a good three seconds before bursting into laughter. “I knew it! I knew you were gonna laugh!”

“I’m sorry Mark, it’s just—” Yukhei burst into another fit of giggles. “This better be code for something illegal.” Mark shook his head. “Well then, have fun.”

“You still don’t believe me,” Mark guessed as he scooped mint chocolate chip ice cream into a waffle cone and handed it to a woman across the counter.

“Of course not.”

“Well I told you what was bothering me, so don’t say I dodged the question,” Mark said as he wielded an ice cream scoop in his hand. Yukhei responded with a snort.

They finished their shift quick enough, Mark never felt like time dragged on too long in the little shop unless he was tired. Truth was that he loved this ice cream shop. He didn’t really have a solid reason, it was mainly just the place itself, with its pink and teal walls and permanent sugary smell, was calming. His shifts with Yukhei were his favorite because those shifts didn’t even feel like work, it was just him and his friend talking and joking while serving ice cream and milkshakes to people. Plus Yukhei dealt with the few angry customers they had like magic.

“Have fun with your mermaid friends.” Yukhei winked as he walked out. Mark gave him a sarcastic wave before he turned back to the counter, grabbing a spoon and scooping some strawberry ice cream into a sugar cone.

No one was here at the moment; the person with the next shift was putting on their apron in the back—a piece of clothing that Mark didn’t think was necessary for ice cream shop worker until he met Yukhei—and currently there were no customers. It would be easy to just walk off with the treat, workers did that here all the time even though they technically weren’t supposed to, but that had never felt right to Mark. He put enough cash to pay for the ice cream in the register, wondering as he walked out of the cheery shop how disappointed Haechan would be if he knew that Mark had just passed up an opportunity to steal.

He hurried down to the beach below the pier, hoping Haechan would be there before the ice cream melted. Mark sat down in the sand by one of the enormous wooden stilts holding the pier up. There was no one nearby; the looming shadow of the pier and the tendency for seagulls to hang out on the stilts meant this part of the beach was less populated than its immediate surroundings, something Mark assumed Haechan would prefer.

He was right; Haechan’s head popped out of the water underneath the pier less than five minutes later. Mark waved at him as he approached. “What’s in your hand?” Haechan asked as he got near.

“Strawberry ice cream. I don’t know, I feel like you’ll like this flavor.” He waded into the water and handed Haechan the cone, who stared at it with so much wonder that it might as well have been a large jewel. _There it is again,_ Mark thought, _the puppy._

Haechan brought the ice cream to his mouth apprehensively and licked it. A smile lit up his face. “This is amazing. You get to eat this every day?”

“Not really, just on special occasions.”

“Special occasions? What makes today so special?” Haechan asked with a smirk as he took another lick. There was a pink dot of ice cream on his nose that complimented the golden flecks dotting his cheeks rather well. Now that he thought about it, it reminded Mark of—

“Your face looks like when the sun sets over the ocean,” he blurted. Haechan stared at him. “Um...I just meant you have ice cream on your nose. A-And the pink and gold and red colors are cute together.” He looked at his feet, sure that his face was as red as Haechan’s hair right now.

“You think I look cute?”

It was a simple question, just five short words. But Mark didn’t trust that he wouldn’t say something embarrassing again so he gave a stiff nod instead. “You know, you’re not too bad on the eyes, yourself,” Haechan said.

If Mark’s face was red before, then it was violet now. “You could not have chosen a more stupid sentence to relay that,” he managed to stutter out. Haechan laughed, licking melted pink off his finger.

“Well now that we’ve established that we’re two attractive young men, and I’ve finished my ice cream, are you ready to go now?”

“We’re going to them? But I can’t breathe underwater.”

“You think I didn’t think of that? Jeez, you may be cute but you’re not the brightest.” He pulled up something that looked like a clump of seaweed and handed it to Mark. “This plant lets you breathe underwater for a while if you eat it. And I swear to God, if I hear one thing about _oh but that goes against science_ then I will smack you.”

“You’re not pranking me or anything?” Mark eyed the dark green plant in his hand, trying to focus on that instead of the fact that Haechan had just called him cute. Twice. “This looks like regular seaweed.”

Haechan grinned and told Mark that he would just have to find out for himself. Mark brought the wet clump to his mouth and bit a chunk off. He gagged. “This tastes disgusting!”

“Oh yeah, I kind of forgot to tell you that part,” Haechan said with an evil grin. Mark was pretty sure the mermaid had _not_ forgotten and had just wanted to see his reaction when he ate the weird seaweed. “Also, you’ll have to eat more of that if you want to stay underwater for more than five minutes.”

Mark glowered at the plant in his hand, deciding that he had a new least favorite food. “Come on Mark! Eat your vegetables!” Haechan teased.

“Shut up,” he shot back as he took another bite and gagged again. Once he had managed to eat a few more mouthfuls of the sour, slimy plant they were off. Haechan grabbed Mark’s hand and lead him further into the water until his feet couldn’t touch the sand anymore. “Ready?” Mark nodded. Haechan dove under and Mark followed.

Mark held his breath at first until he remembered that he didn’t need to. He was still wary that the weird seaweed wouldn’t work, but he took a small breath anyways. The water that filled his mouth still felt heavy and unbreathable, but it somehow _wasn’t_. He could breathe just fine. He let out an incredulous laugh. “It worked!”

Haechan looked back at him and smiled. “Now don’t fall behind! It’s not that far of a swim.” Mark tried, he really did, but keeping up with someone that had fins was a lot harder than he expected. They ended up with Haechan carrying him on his back, insisting that it was much faster that way. During the swim Mark was painfully aware of the fact that his and Haechan’s skin was touching. He tried to ignore that.

After what seemed like an eternity Haechan announced that they were here. “Here” was a little reef nestled against a rock outcropping. Haechan let go of Mark, who sunk lazily to the sea floor. A small plume of sand hovered away from him as his feet made contact with the ground. Haechan followed his lead and sat down next to him. “Obviously we couldn’t go to my house or anything, so…” Haechan gestured around him. “This place is away from both humans and mermaids. Perfect for a secret meeting. They should be here any second—my friends, I mean.” Mark nodded, content to look at the sea creatures in the reef for few minutes.

He was studying a particularly colorful fish that was darting in and out of sight when Haechan shot up. “There they are! Do you see them?” He pointed ahead towards two figures approaching them. One had pink hair as soft and bright as the strawberry ice cream Haechan had eaten earlier and a tail to match. The other’s hair was a pastel blue, like the sky on a sunny afternoon. His tail was more complicated than the boy next to him; it started silver by his waist but the scales faded to a blue not unlike his hair at where his mid-thighs would have been. Mark wondered if all mermaids were this breathtaking or if Haechan just had very selective requirements for his friends.

The pink mermaid swam up to Haechan and hugged him enthusiastically. “You made it!” Haechan exclaimed.

“Of course! It’s not every day that you get to talk to a human up close.” He shot a wink at Mark, before introducing himself. “I’m Jaemin. That’s Jeno over there.” At this the blue and silver mermaid—Jeno—gave a small wave.

“Hi, I’m Mark.” Jaemin stared at him for a second and then snorted.

“Is that it?”

Mark spluttered. “What else do I say?” He did have other things to say, about a million questions that sounded reasonable in his head but knew only about 4 of them wouldn’t seem stupid once he asked them. And he’d rather not embarrass himself immediately.

“I don’t know, maybe _anything_ ,” Jaemin retorted. “We want to talk to you, you’re the amazing letter boy that we’ve heard so much about.”

“ _Letter boy?_ ” Mark’s face burned. He glanced at Haechan, who’s face had reddened too. Probably just out of embarrassment.

Haechan reached out and smacked Jaemin on the back of the head. “Ow!” Jaemin protested.

“We haven’t read any, don’t worry,” Jeno told Mark as Jaemin and Haechan started to argue. “Jaemin might tease you, but I think the whole letter thing is kind of cute.”

“You seem a lot more chill than those two.” Mark gestured towards Haechan and Jaemin and Jeno chuckled. He was about to say something when a particularly loud comment from Haechan distracted him.

“Well I’ve had strawberry ice cream! Suck on that, Bubblegum!”

“Bubblegum?” Mark asked Jeno.

“He calls Jaemin that sometimes. I think it’s because of his pink hair and tail.” They watched as Haechan and Jaemin shouted at each other. Apparently the argument was something about colors, Mark didn’t really understand.

“I should probably stop this dumb argument now but they’d just get in another one,” Jeno sighed. Mark understood that very well; it was exactly how Chenle and Jisung were with each other. He tuned in to the bickering again when he heard his name.

“Fine, let’s ask Mark then,” Haechan was saying to Jaemin. He turned towards Mark and Jeno. “Mark, what color is Jaemin’s hair?”

Mark had to hold back a laugh; _that_ was the argument? “Uh...pink.”

“Yeah, but what shade of pink? Because I think it’s bubblegum pink.”

“No way! It’s way darker than that.” Jaemin whined.

“Is not! You’ve never even seen bubblegum before, how would you know?”

“Okay toddlers, that’s enough,” Jeno said. “This is not how I want to spend my afternoon, and I don’t think it’s how Mark wants to spend his either. We came here to talk, not to yell about color Jaemin’s hair is, which by the way, is the dumbest argument ever.”

“I’ve seen dumber,” Mark said. Jeno quirked an eyebrow at him. “Chenle and Jisung fight like this all the time. Once they had an argument about which shoe was the correct one to put on first.”

“Shoes,” Jaemin muttered. His face was screwed up in concentration, like he was trying to remember a word in another language. “Those are those things you put on your feet?”

Mark was about to laugh before he realized Jaemin was being completely serious. “Yeah, you really didn’t know that?”

“It’s not exactly common knowledge for us. We’re not supposed to come in contact with humans, so we’re not taught stuff that would make us want to get near them. Like shoes.”

Mark wasn’t sure why he was surprised by this. It made sense, keeping curiosity at bay for safety, but that almost seemed _wrong_.

“Do you want to learn?”

He didn’t think he would ever forget how the mermaids’ faces lit up at that. It was such a simple question, it even had a yes or no answer, but their reactions made it seem as if he was offering the world to them. Which, in a sense, he was. Jaemin, Jeno, and Haechan grew up so close to the shore, and yet they had barely any clue about what the world above the sea was like.

“Please?” Jaemin whispered hopefully. Haechan and Jeno said nothing, only looking at Mark with pleading eyes. They were so fragile looking, almost like lost children.

Mark lost track of how long he spent talking. He told them about all sorts of things, from what kind of animals lived on land to his sparse knowledge of the Cold War, he just told them whatever thing about humans or land popped into his head. No matter what it was about, the pure childlike wonder never left the mermaids’ eyes. Especially Haechan’s.

The only cue for Mark to stop was when breathing became difficult. The effects of the water-breathing plant he ate were wearing off. “Guess that’s a wrap for today,” Haechan said once he told them. “Come on, I’ll take you home.” Mark nodded, saying goodbye to Jeno and Jaemin, who wouldn’t stop thanking him for his crash course on humans.

The swim back was almost entirely silent (partly because Mark’s voice was hoarse from talking for who knows how long but mostly because he couldn’t really breathe well). Haechan only attempted conversation once they had emerged under the pier again. “What do you think their favorite topic was?”

It was that phase in the evening where it wasn't technically sunset yet but the sun dipped low enough in the sky that it made the shadows stretch and cast a warm glow on everything its rays touched. Including Haechan’s face. The honey-tinge complimented him well; with his tan skin and cherry-red hair, it looked as if he was glowing himself. Mark glanced away.

“I think Jaemin’s was Starbucks,” Haechan said when he failed to produce an answer. “He seemed really enthusiastic when you told us about it.”

Mark smiled, still avoiding eye contact. “Not as enthusiastic as when Jeno found out that cats existed.”

Haechan gave a little giggle. It was just as light and bubbly as it was the night before. “So what about mine?” he asked eventually.

“Yours?” Mark bit his lip. To say this was a hard question was an understatement. The perky mermaid had seemed so interested in everything. “MTV in the 80’s,” he said eventually. “And cherries.”

Haechan smirked. “So I guess you’ve found my weaknesses then. Too bad I still don’t know yours,” he said with a pout. “You’d think I know by now from all those letters.”

“My weakness…” Mark let his eyes drift back up to Haechan. _Wouldn’t you like to know._

“You’ll just have to figure that out on your own.”

“Is that a request to hang out again?” Haechan asked, cocking his head to the side. His tail flickered playfully just under the surface of the waves. Mark nodded. “How about Thursday night?” Another nod. “Okay. Same place as yesterday, that beach where I saved you with my amazing lifeguard skills.”

“I would be scared to swim anywhere that you’re a lifeguard at,” Mark said with a sly smile. Haechan gave him a playful shove as a retort.

“See you Thursday, letter boy.”

Mark rolled his eyes. “Bye Ariel.” He waved as Haechan disappeared into the shimmering sea, before he headed towards his car. His heart was racing the whole way home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i wrote the ice cream shop scene before stranger things 3 came out but when i was editing yesterday i almost rewrote the scene to make the shop sailor themed oops. we already know what mark in steve's scoops ahoy uniform would look like bc its so similar to the we young outfits so i guess i just gotta make yukhei an egirl now so he can be robin then bam we got st3 ripoff featuring lumark B)


	3. July 7th, 2016

Mark mashed his hand a little too aggressively on the doorbell button, running his fingers through his messy hair in a worried fashion. “Please answer, come on,” he muttered to himself. He waited five seconds, then ten. He rang the bell again, fidgeting with his hands. This time the salty smell of the nearby sea and the sunny day didn’t soothe his nerves like it usually did.

Finally, the door opened slowly to reveal a confused Renjun. Apparently he had been painting when Mark rang the bell; blue and green streaks dotted his hands and he was wearing a faded shirt that had every color of the rainbow splattered somewhere on it. He even had a small smudge of yellow on his cheek. “Mark? Why are you here? It’s seven in the morning, don’t you usually sleep in?”

“I couldn’t, I barely slept at all last night. I can’t stop thinking. I tried to call you but you didn’t pick up and I…” He shook his head. Now that he thought about it, what was he doing? Showing up at Renjun’s door early in the morning, it wasn’t like he was dying or anything.

He took a deep breath. “I’m sorry, this really isn’t like me and you seem busy right now so I’ll just—”

“No, clearly something’s bothering you.” Renjun looked him up and down. “You can stay and talk.”

Mark shook his head. “No, no, it’s just a stupid thing anyways. I’ll go.” Renjun let out an exasperated sigh and leaned on the coffee-colored door frame.

“Stay, dumbass. You show up at my door and the first thing you do is announce that you couldn’t sleep last night because you were thinking about _something,_ so your solution when I didn’t answer your calls is to go all the way to my house. Obviously you need to talk.”

Mark gave a small nod, currently in a weird split between being annoyed at his own irrationality and thankful that Renjun was taking him seriously. “Okay.”

Renjun let him in the house, leading them to his bedroom. Mark liked Renjun’s bedroom, it had a soft color palette and always smelled fresh, like washed linen. It was also the cleanest room Mark had ever seen, but that made sense considering that it was Renjun’s.

Renjun sat down on his bed, a small thing topped with a rather childish looking blue and white comforter that matched the pale azure of the walls. “So, what’s up?”

Mark didn’t respond right away. As he attempted to gather his thoughts his eyes landed on a little ballerina statuette on Renjun’s desk. She was standing en pointe with her arms above her head, emanating a regal grace. With her delicate features and composed expression, Chenle had always said the elegant statue was like a mini Renjun.

“I’m not crazy, am I?” Mark’s heart was racing, he could feel it practically punching his rips with every beat. His eyes were locked on the ballerina.

“What do you mean?” Silence. “Mark?”

Mark’s gaze wandered to the window. Something glinted outside in the sun. _The sun._ The sun was pretty. It cast down golden rays and a warmth that was both playful and calming at the same time and...and it had a little dot of strawberry ice cream on its nose. It had a strange fascination with the 1980’s and it loved red converse even though it had never even seen them before, and—

“I think I’m in love with a mermaid,” he blurted. _Fuck._ Mark was really starting to hate how the sun made him so loose-lipped.

Renjun stayed silent, maintaining his straight-faced expression. Mark let out a nervous laugh. “There, I said it. I finally said it and now I think that my heart is going to explode. It won’t stop fucking racing.” He buried his face in his hands, giving another nervous laugh. “I’m really sorry to bother you, I just...You were the only person I knew who wouldn’t make fun of me.”

“This mermaid,” Renjun asked softly, still poised on the edge of his bed, “is it the same one you write those letters to—Haechan was his name?” Renjun was one of the only people that knew about the letters. Mark had told him when they were young, almost immediately after he started his little tradition. Though he wasn’t sure if Renjun believed that mermaids actually existed, he never made fun of Mark when they talked about the subject. Like the ballerina, he was calm and had an open mind, something Mark was extremely grateful for right now.

Mark nodded. “You know the day Jisung almost drowned a few weeks ago? I didn’t save him. I blacked out in the water, then I woke up on the beach with Haechan staring down at me. He saved both of us. He and I have been talking since then but every time I see him I still can’t believe I’m talking to a _mermaid._ I mean, and now I have a crush on a mythical creature. I feel insane.”

Renjun didn’t answer right away. He bit his lip lightly as he stared at his soft comforter, probably trying to figure out the best response. “How many times have you seen him?” he eventually asked in a cautious voice.

“Well he saved Jisung and I about a month ago so...” Mark scrunched up his face as he tried to remember exact times and dates. It was hard because everything that happened to him this summer got muddled together. Every day was a combination of either working at the ice cream shop with Yukhei, hanging out with Chenle, Jisung, and Renjun, or meeting Haechan at the ocean at night. Sometimes he’d do all three in a day. “I’d say at least three times a week since then.”

“So you see him a lot.” Mark nodded, fidgeting with the hem of his shirt. “Well,” Renjun started, “does he seem real to you?” Mark opened his mouth to respond but Renjun cut him off before he could get any sound out. “Don’t think about how crazy you think it is or what other people would say. Do _you_ think he’s real?”

That question, Mark had never thought about it that way before. He knew what his first answer would be; he had touched Haechan’s caramel skin. He’d shared ice cream with him on three separate occasions. He had even been aloud to redo one of the tiny braids in the mermaid’s scarlet hair when it had come undone once. Haechan definitely _seemed_ real, but Mark couldn’t help but doubt the mermaid’s existence. Nothing spectacular had ever happened to him, so why this all the sudden? He hadn’t seen Haechan for over fifteen years, and then the mermaid shows up out of nowhere just when Mark happened to need help. It just seemed too good to be true.

“I don’t know,” he breathed, looking out the window to the small sea waves breaking onto the distant beach. “Maybe I just want him to be.”

Renjun stood up, placing his hand on Mark’s shoulder. “Here’s what I think. I don’t think you’re crazy. Because if you blacked out in the water that night you and Jisung would have drowned unless someone had saved you. But both of you are alive right now and I’d say that’s proof enough for me. I don’t know if that convinces you, but just consider it. Please.”

Mark gave a small nod. “I will. You’re not gonna tell Jisung or Chenle about this conversation, right?”

“I might only after you introduce us to your magic sea boyfriend.” Mark gave Renjun a joking shove before he hardened his expression.

“Seriously though, thanks for this, I really needed it.”

Renjun nodded, giving a reassuring smile. “Anytime.”

· · · · ·

“It’s 8:15 now, I gotta go,” Mark announced as he stood up, almost knocking over a bowl of chips in the process.

“You always leave at this time,” Chenle whined, not taking his eyes off the video game he was playing with Jisung. “Where do you even go that’s so important?”

“Just meeting up with a mermaid,” Mark said. Renjun shot him a look that neither Chenle nor Jisung saw.

“You say that every time,” Chenle whined again. Somehow he was expertly shoving a handful of chips into his mouth with one hand while still maintaining a perfect score on the game. “Mermaids aren’t real, if they were then fairies would be too, and why haven’t I met a fairy yet?” he pouted.

“That’s because _you’re_ the fairy.” Jisung reached up to pinch Chenle’s cheek, who recoiled backwards more from surprise than anything else. His hands came off from the controller in that moment and he yelled in frustration when his game character was killed.

“C’mon Jisung! You made me die!”

“Well it was your fault you let go of the controller!”

“You distracted me! It’s your fault!” He picked a chip out of the bowl and threw it at Jisung. Jisung just rolled his eyes and turned his attention to Mark.

“You’re not doing anything illegal, right? It’d suck if you went to jail, you’re my source of free ice cream.” Mark let out a short laugh before reassuring Jisung that no, he wasn’t doing anything illegal and that he would continue to get ice cream for his friends.

“Then what are you doing? Is this code for, like, sex, or something?” Chenle asked with a teasing smile.

“What? No! I told you guys, I really am meeting up with a mermaid.”

“Whatever,” Chenle said. “Just use protection.” His comment was greeted by a smack on the arm from Mark.

After a lot more teasing from Chenle and Jisung and even a little bit from Renjun, Mark was finally able to make his way out the door. He got in his car and pulled out of the driveway, giving Jisung’s house one last look before speeding off to the beach. A thought popped into his head and he wondered if Haechan would enjoy driving.

It certainly seemed like the mermaid would, it was easy to picture him racing down a road somewhere in the countryside. He’d push his nonexistent foot on the accelerator further and further even after the car was going well past the speed limit, daring to see just how far up the dial the speedometer’s needle could go. Mark could practically see how his fiery hair would blow in the wind, the devilish smile that would crown his face as the car sped faster and faster, the way his crystal eyes would shine with pure delight when—

Right up ahead was Mark’s turn. He had nearly missed it. He took the left and pulled into the parking lot, sighing as he turned off the car. He didn’t get out immediately, he just stared at the dark sea from the driver’s seat as his heart started to skip again. He shook his head. _God, get yourself together Mark,_ he thought. _This is so stupid._

He got out of the car, walking as slow as he could from the lot to the shore. It wasn’t that he had a bad feeling exactly, but he was still uneasy. His conversation with Renjun that morning had helped a lot, but it hadn’t resolved all his doubts. The “what if’s” stayed, no matter how outlandish he knew they were, they still festered in the back of his mind. Like parasites.

He was so lost in thought that he almost yelped when Haechan emerged from the water.

“Hey!” Haechan yelled cheerily before he took in Mark’s grim expression. “Woah, are you okay? You look like you just saw a ghost.”

Mark waved a hand casually to dismiss Haechan’s concern. “I’m fine. I wasn't paying attention, you just scared me when you came out of the water.”

“Is that all?” Haechan asked in a singsong voice. “Well, scaredy cat, I have something to show you. If you’re okay with swimming right now.” He brought his tone up at the end of that last sentence, saying it more as a question than a statement.

Mark did his best to shove his doubting thoughts into the back of his mind. He’d think about it later, there was no need to dampen the mood right now. So instead he gave a sly smile. “You just want me to have to eat that seaweed thing again.”

“Partly,” Haechan said with a grin. “But it’s something else too.”

After a little bit of considering Mark agreed to the adventure. If he didn’t count the one night he had tried to save Jisung, he had never actually gone swimming at night before. At least not in the ocean. So why not? It wasn’t like he could drown this time.

Haechan handed him a clump of the water-breathing plant and he took a few bites. By now he had done this a few times so he was a little more used to it. Fortunately he had stopped outright gagging whenever he put the thing in his mouth, but that didn’t make the experience of eating it any less gross.

After he had choked down enough he waded into the water. The two dove under together and Mark wrapped his arms around Haechan’s shoulders like he usually did. Now that he was this close to the mermaid the thoughts that he thought had been locked away started coming back. It was agonizing, being able to feel the mermaid’s warm skin against his as those doubts raced through his mind.

Haechan tried to start a conversation multiple times but gave up when Mark continued to not show interest in talking. Mark lied when Haechan asked what was wrong, only saying that he was tired. “Do you want to go back?” Haechan offered. “I can show you later.”

Now this was a compelling question. Most of Mark didn’t want to return home, he wanted to stay with Haechan and see where this new adventure would lead, but another, smaller part of him wanted to get as far away from Haechan as possible, and he didn’t really know why. Maybe he _was_ just tired.

“No, I’m fine. Let’s keep going,” he decided. Haechan nodded and they continued onwards through the dark sea.

Finally, Haechan announced that they were almost there, they just had to swim through an underwater tunnel. “It’s pretty dark in there, so just hold on tight.” Mark nodded, tightening his grip around Haechan’s shoulders before the mermaid swam right into a gaping hole in the rock below them. As his vision was plunged into complete darkness he tried to ignore the thought that they might as well have just swam into the mouth of some giant monster.

This part of the swim was short, no more than two or three minutes, but it felt like an eternity to Mark. It was pitch black and there was no sound other than the eerie hum of water pressing against his ears. It was terrifying, having his sense of vision and hearing ripped away from him so easily and quickly. It made him suddenly feel very tiny, like hunted prey. He shrunk closer into Haechan.

And with this absence of sight and hearing came the fear that he would unknowingly let go of Haechan in the muted nothing and neither of them would even realize it. So he did something he otherwise always tried to ignore: he focused on the feeling of their skin touching. It could be just due to the slickness of the water, but he found that Haechan’s skin was soft, almost unnaturally so. Mark had never noticed that.

Maybe he sensed how uncomfortable Mark was, maybe he just felt his body go stiff against his own, but Haechan started to hum a little tune as he swam. It was gentle, like something Mark’s mom would sing to him when he was a child after he had a nightmare. It filled the heavy void with a cheeriness that could only be compared to laughter on a sunny day. But it wasn’t just the tune that made it calming, it was the way Haechan’s voice weaved the notes so expertly into a melody. He was confident, proud, happy, and it radiated from his voice like warm rays from the sun. Maybe that’s why the song sounded as gorgeous as the mermaid looked.

Eventually, a light came into view, starting off faint but getting brighter as they approached. They swam towards it until they had emerged in a small cave. The light was coming from something on the ceiling. It cast a dreamy teal glow on everything, reflecting off the still water and causing the minerals in the dark walls to shine like crystals. Mark was amazed; the scene looked like the night sky on another planet. Haechan proudly informed that the glow came from hundreds of tiny bioluminescent animals on the ceiling.

The cave itself was still and silent. The only sounds came from the quiet occasional splashes made by the two boys. But it wasn’t a quiet like in the tunnel. While the other silence felt heavy and suffocating, this one was comfortable. Mark didn’t mind this silence at all. It was lighter, airer, and paired with the twinkling teal of the glowing ceiling, it gave the whole cave a mystical feel. In fact, he wouldn’t be surprised if he found out that time didn’t move in this place. It was so mesmerizing, it was something out of a dream.

Haechan led them to an outcropping rock where an old wooden chest lay. It looked beaten; small dents littered the outside and the bent metal latch that was supposed to keep it locked appeared to be broken. He opened it silently and nudged it towards Mark, expectant.

Mark peered inside and gasped. The chest held letter after letter, all in his own handwriting. Careful not to mess up the organized piles, he pulled one out from the bottom of the box. It was yellow and heavily water damaged, a large contrast to the crisp, clean state of the newer ones in the chest. “This is my first letter,” he breathed after he read the date on the top.

“I kept them all. I spend a lot more time here than I should, I like to re-read them.” Haechan sighed, resting his head on his crossed arms on the outcropping. His tail flicked mindlessly behind him, creating little ripples in the twinkling water. “I don’t know, I guess it just makes me calm.”

A glint from behind the chest caught Mark’s eye as he put the letter back. He moved the old wooden thing slightly, trying to see what it was. “Are those old Coca-Cola bottles?”

Rose tint climbed up Haechan’s cheeks. “Ah, yeah. I um, I dunno, they looked pretty, I guess I just wanted to keep them.” He picked up one of the bottles, tracing the curved letters of the white logo engraved onto the glass. “You know, you sent my favorite letter in a Coca-Cola bottle.” Mark hummed in question. “July 7th, 2016. That was the first time you called me Haechan. But you wouldn’t tell me why you chose that name. You said I’d have to wait until we met in person. And now we have.” He turned to look at Mark, who couldn’t help but notice how the gold on Haechan's cheeks shimmered in the artificial starlight.

“Well,” Mark cleared his throat, “after we first met, I couldn’t stop thinking about how colorful you were. You seemed so lively, I’ve never seen anyone else like that, even still. You were bright, like, well, like the sun, so I thought what better name to give a boy like that than ‘Full Sun?’”

Haechan looked down at the water, trying to hide a goofy smile. “Full Sun,” he whispered to himself. He was still tracing the letters on the Coke bottle.

“It’s funny,” Mark continued, “I almost forgot that it probably isn’t your real name. It just seemed to fit so well.” _Maybe it only fits so well because you made him up. It’s not just his name that’s fake._

Mark hesitated. “Haechan?” The mermaid looked up.

“Yeah? Is something wrong?” He put the bottle down and started towards Mark. Mark squeezed his eyes shut as his sinuses suddenly started burning. There was no way he was going to cry right now. Not in front of Haechan.

“I just… I’m scared.” He shook his head. “This is so stupid, I even talked to Renjun about it but I still can’t shake the thought that I’m just hallucinating. I’m afraid that I’m going to wake up one day and realize that you’re not real and you never were, and all of this,” he gestured around them weakly, “all of this is made up. I know it’s so stupid and irrational but I can’t get those thoughts out of my mind, now matter how hard I try. I’m terrified, Haechan. I don’t—I don’t want to lose you.” His voice broke at that last sentence.

Haechan was silent as he took the confession in. Then, still not talking, he took Mark’s hand. He moved in closer and stared into his eyes. Mark took in Haechan’s face, his rose cheeks and button nose, the way his blue eyes glowed emerald green in the teal light.

He watched in slow motion as Haechan got closer and closer until the mermaid’s soft lips were connected to his own.

It was simple. It was gentle. It was perfect. Mark’s guess from earlier must be right, time really did stand still here.

After a lovely, eternal moment, Haechan pulled away slowly and looked Mark in the eyes. “My real name is Donghyuck. But I love Haechan, I think it’d be weird if you suddenly started calling me something else.”

Mark didn’t respond, he was too focused on the fact that Haechan (or Donghyuck, whatever) had kissed him and it had felt so warm and tender and _real_ that there could be no way he was made up. And then Mark had a more simpler realization: Haechan, the perky red-haired mermaid that was his crush, had kissed him.

“You kissed me. Does that mean…?”

“I’ve liked you for years Mark. I fell in love with you from your letters. Which, by the way, is _so lame._ ”

“I guess that means I should be an author, then,” Mark replied with a wink.

Haechan cracked a smile as he rolled his eyes. “Not a chance. Your writing sucks.”

“It still captivated you.”

“Whatever.” Then his smirk morphed slowly into something more genuine. He gazed at Mark, just silently taking him in. They bathed in each other’s eyes, their thoughts and their silent worries muffled. Right now there was only Mark and Haechan under the brilliant, lovely starlight. Nothing else. This might have gone on for a second or a lifetime, Mark didn’t know and honestly didn’t care. Haechan was with him and he was real and he was happy. And so was Mark.

The moment was over all too quickly though. Haechan’s mesmerized expression soon turned to one of grim annoyance as he remembered something. “It’s getting late, people might start wondering where I am. We should probably go back.” He sighed.

Though he didn’t want to leave the dreamy cave with its artificial starlight and collection of letters, Mark nodded. He knew this would get a lot more complicated if people got suspicious or found out that Haechan was talking to a human on a regular basis. “Okay. Just promise you’ll take me back here soon.”

The trip back to the beach was a blur. It was filled with talking and laughing and smiling and even a little bit of singing; exactly how a summer night on the ocean should be. They reached the shore all too quickly. Neither made a move to leave at first. “Haechan?” Mark said. Haechan let out a short hum. “I want to see you in the daylight again. I want to see you in the sun.”

“Well we can meet under the pier again and—”

“No.” Mark shook his head. “Not underwater. I know a place where we could go so you won’t be seen.” Haechan quirked an eyebrow at him. “It’s this hidden cove, Renjun and I would go there together when we were little.”

“And why haven’t I heard about this cove before?” Haechan shot a taunting look towards Mark. The icy blue of his eyes in the moonlight sharpened his expression.

“Honestly I had forgotten about it until now. It was so long ago.” He proceeded to tell Haechan the cove’s location and they made plans for when they’d meet. Once that was settled, it was time for Haechan to return home.

“Well, letter boy, the next time we meet will be on our first date. Pressure’s on.” He shot a wink Mark’s way before disappearing into the sea.

Mark smiled, staring at the spot in the water where Haechan had just been. After a moment he stood up slowly, brushing the soft sand off his knees. He couldn’t believe how much had changed in the past hour. When he got into the ocean that night he never would have thought he’d return to land as a boyfriend. He chuckled and started trudging back towards his car. The sand felt cool on his feet.

 _First date._ That phrase sure gave him butterflies.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> bruh i hope this chapter made some semblance of sense with all the angst. i wasn't originally going to put any angst in this au but i guess it just happened?? don't worry tho chapter 4 will be back to the regularly scheduled lighthearted-markhyuck-messing-around-and-doing-cute-shenanigans stuff


	4. Sand Doesn't Belong in Coca-Cola

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi this basically all fluff

Mark sat down under the shade of a palm tree, fiddling with the cooler he was carrying. He wondered if Haechan would be able to find this cove. The mermaid wasn’t really able to use a map or a phone because neither boded well in water, so unfortunately he just had what Mark had told him a few days ago as directions. Mark hoped that it was enough.

As he waited his thoughts wandered to his last meeting with Haechan. His mind had been playing the events of that night over and over for the past few days like a broken record, rewinding and analyzing, breaking down each moment. Especially the kiss. His brain seemed to love to remember that part. Even a week later, he could still feel the ghost of Haechan’s cherry lips on his own.

He shook his head, trying to ignore the flush of heat climbing up his cheeks. As often as it came to mind, the memory still gave him butterflies. He sighed.

A seagull cawed somewhere out of sight. The breeze ruffled his hair, weaving the salty smell of the sea into it as it did. Mark yawned. Funny, he didn’t even realize he had been tired until now. The ocean always had that effect on him. It was calming, he’d always felt safe when he was in view of its blue waters. Not even almost drowning could change his mind on that.

He flopped on his back, eyes falling closed. He supposed a nap wouldn’t hurt, it wasn’t like there was anything better to do, and anyways, the sand was so soft here. Like a fuzzy blanket, he thought dully. Before he knew it, the gentle, rhythmic drumming of the waves on the shore had lulled him to sleep.

Like many of his dreams, this one started on the beach. Upon a glance he realized he was under the pier by the ice cream shop. It was stormy; wind whipped his face and stirred up the gray sea, and the low, resonating grumble of thunder sounded from somewhere in the dark clouds above. Lightning crackled somewhere and the hairs on his arms stood up. Mark looked around.

No one was nearby. He strained his ears, listening for talking or footsteps or the usually persistent sound of skateboards rolling down the boardwalk. But it was all absent, no sign of any humans nearby. There was just Mark and the sea. A strange calm brushed over him like a thick fog, muffling the sound of the angry wind and waves. It clouded his mind too, though he didn’t notice.

He turned back towards the ocean numbly, trance-like. Something was glowing in a spot in the water, casting a sunny yellow spot in the swelling gray. Mark didn’t know why but it felt... important. He wanted to go towards it. No, he _needed_ to go towards it.

Something was whispering to him, leading him forward. His legs moved on their own. They dragged him towards the sea and he followed without protest, his mind a blank canvas. He followed even as the angry current came up to his knees, his waist, his neck. Finally his head dipped under the groaning waters. The already dulled sound of the wind and the waves and the thunder cut off all at once. Now there was just the eerie silence of the ocean.

The orb was in front of him now. Its soft yellow light tickled his face, teasing. He took a groggy step forward. The orb moved, dancing out of reach. He stared at it blankly. It stared back.

The same thing that willed him into the sea moments ago pulled him forward. The orb shifted out of reach again, but this time it didn’t stop. It was getting farther and farther away, it wanted him to follow. He didn’t know how he knew that. Was it the whispers?

Before he knew it he was floating alongside the orb. He let it lead him through the dark ocean. He followed without question or doubt, without even thinking. He didn’t know how long they journeyed through the emptiness, and it gave him a headache trying to figure it out. Everything was muddled together.

Eventually the orb slowed as they reached the sea floor. Something emerged into view out of the murk. It was a stone, old and weathered and resting on a platform of dark rock. Intricate writing was carved into it in a language that he didn’t recognize. He tried to inch closer but found he couldn’t. For the first time since the dream started he realized something was off.

It was strange here, unnatural. The whole area glowed an eerie green. The water was heavy, stagnant. Mark blinked. Something was letting out an awfully low creak in the distance. Deep and threatening. Something wasn’t right.

The trance-like calm that surrounded Mark evaporated suddenly, leaving him at the bottom of the ocean, defenseless. He took a breath and found that it was water, heavy and far from breathable. What? But he had been just fine a second ago. He choked and coughed but the water just kept coming, forcing its way into him angrily. His mind went blank with panic and he could only think of how this was just like the night he tried to save Jisung. The ocean would fill every inch of his lungs and throat and squeeze his life away. And this time he knew Haechan wasn’t around to save him.

In the midst of his rising panic something flashed behind him. He spun around. The orb was now bright white, pulsing at the same urgent speed of his heart. He blinked and it flashed again, enveloping him in the blinding light.

Mark shot up, coughing up the ghost of water that had never been in his lungs. His eyes danced frantically at his surroundings and it was only after he saw the sun and the lazy blue of the sky did he realize that his clothes were dry and his lungs were free, it had only been a dream. He breathed out a sigh of relief, the chill of the stormy waters fading slowly from his skin.

“Wow, you look shaken. That dream must’ve been pretty intense,” someone said. Mark whipped around.

“Haechan?” he spluttered. “How long have you been here?”

Haechan shrugged. “Few minutes. You’re a really deep sleeper, I even shook you but you wouldn’t move. You were like a rock.”

Mark scratched his head, puzzled. “But I’m not… I’ve always been a light sleeper.” Maybe it had something to do with his weird dream. No, that was silly, a dream couldn’t harm him, it wasn’t real.

“Well not this time. You were basically dead during that nap. Until you started thrashing around suddenly right before you woke up.” He gave Mark a look that was a mix between exasperation and amusement.

Mark was going to respond when he realized that Haechan was sitting next to him. They were on the sand. Granted, it wasn’t that far from the water but Mark had never seen Haechan more than three feet away from the shore before. The boy had a fish tail, how did he get all the way over here? Mark voiced his curiosity and Haechan let out a dramatic scoff.

“It was quite embarrassing actually, I’m glad you were asleep when I did it. I had to crawl, but like, without legs.” He scrunched up his face in disgust.

“So you slithered,” Mark said with a grin. Haechan pursed his lips, tilting his chin upwards as he crossed his arms across his chest.

“And what if I did? I’m still better at slithering that you are at walking,” he replied indignantly. Mark rolled his eyes and Haechan responded with a wink. “I’m here because I was waiting for you to wake up. But now that you have, I’m going back in the water.”

“And how are you gonna get there, Mr. Fishtail? By using your amazing snake skills like before?” This time it was Haechan’s turn to roll his eyes.

“Maybe I am.”

“No you’re not,” Mark said. He said it casually, treating the sentence more like a simple fact than the firm statement that it actually was.

Haechan narrowed his eyes. “What does that mean?” Mark grinned before standing up. He brushed some sand off his legs before bending down to pick up Haechan. Upon realizing what was happening the mermaid immediately let out a string of protests. “Don’t you dare! Mark Lee, I swear if you pick me up—” But by now he was already in Mark’s arms. He let out a defeated groan. “If I had legs I would most definitely have kicked you in the face by now.”

Mark ignored his comment. “You know, at the beginning of this year I never would have thought that I’d get to carry a mermaid bridal style in my lifetime.” Haechan just muttered for him to shut up and put him in the ocean already. Which Mark did, but not before stealing a peck on the mermaid’s bright red hair, just to the right of where his two tiny braids were.

God, how he’d missed seeing that hair in the daylight. At night it was a soft maroon at best, nothing close to the daring scarlet it was under the sun. Mark smiled to himself. Seeing the sun-kissed mermaid in normal lighting was so refreshing. With his shimmering golden scales and exuberant red hair, this was the Haechan that Mark remembered. This Haechan was youthful and exciting, always ready to do something fun on impulse no matter how stupid it might be. Mark was completely sure that if the consequences were anything less than endangering his entire species, Haechan would go to the beach and talk to humans every day. (He’d probably get in a few fights too but that was besides the point.)

“So,” Haechan said, snapping Mark out of his thoughts, “What’s in the bag?” Right, Mark had almost forgotten about the little cooler. It was still laying in the sand by the palm tree.

“Just some stuff I thought you’d like. Human food.”

Haechan’s eyes lit up. “Really?”

Mark nodded as he stood up to grab it. When he returned Haechan was sitting at the very edge of the shore. His tail flickered excitedly in the shallow water, sending little ripples through the water. Mark handed him the cooler and he opened it slowly. A huge grin lit up his face as soon he saw what was inside. “This is…”

He pulled one of the glass bottles out carefully, mouth agape, and Mark had a flashback to when they first met. The gentle sea and the white shore and the sunny afternoon, the way one’s eyes lit up after the other gave him a gift, it was like they were little kids all over again. Innocent and sweet and just wanting to have fun, to be in each other’s presence and to talk and to eat junk food together on the beach. This was the childhood they never had together, the childhood Mark had always wished he could share with the vibrant mermaid he’d met once upon a time. And after over a decade and a half of waiting, he was finally able to do just that.

“Do you like it?” he asked. Haechan let out an amazed laugh and threw his arms around Mark.

“Are you kidding? I love it! This is amazing!”

Mark pulled the other bottle out of the cooler. The chilly glass was a huge contrast to the sun-warmed sand, but he didn’t mind. It was enlivening, a dose of energy on the lazy day. The red and white Coca-Cola logo smiled up at him, inviting him to open it and drink the sweet soda inside. “I figured since you were so fascinated with the bottles, you might want to try the drink itself.” Haechan let out a giggle. “What?”

“Nothing, nothing,” the mermaid said with a goofy smile. His eyes were dreamy and voice was filled with sweet honey. “It’s just that I can’t believe I’m gonna get to drink Coca-Cola today. I’ve been wanting to for _years_ , and now I finally… I just can’t believe I get to try it with you.” He glanced away, averting his eyes to the bottle in his hand. The ocean breeze fluttered lazily through his damp hair.

“There’s another thing in there,” Mark said softly, nudging the cooler. “It’s not as cool as Coke but I think you’ll still like it.” Haechan gave him a curious glance before checking the cooler again. He pulled out a clear plastic tub and gave a confused look at its contents.

“They’re red.”

Mark laughed. “Great observation, Mr. Detective. Do you know what they are?”

Haechan studied the tub, turning it over delicately in his hands a few times before recognition flickered across his confused face.

“Are these... cherries?” He gave a hopeful glance towards Mark, who nodded. “Wow, I— I don’t know what to say.”

“You don’t have to say anything. I just wanted to do something special for you.” Maybe it was because he felt that he had fifteen years worth of presents to make up for. Maybe he wanted to return the favor of the shell and of the letter chest. But it was more than that. To put it simply, Haechan was stunning. Sure he could be bratty and annoying at times, but he had brought so much joy and color and pure wonder into Mark’s life. It wasn’t much, this cooler full of snacks, but Mark wanted to return the feeling of how the mermaid made him feel, even if it was just a slice of that feeling.

But Mark wasn’t a poet. He had no clue how to put that into words. So instead he just shrugged and said, “I felt like today was a good time since we’re dating now.”

“Who said we’re dating?” Haechan joked. The tiny scales on his rosy cheeks glittered a merry amber, aureate and perfect.

“I don’t know, I think it was the annoying mermaid who said this would be our first date. Or was it that red-haired guy who kissed me in that cave? My memory’s a little foggy, I’m not sure.” Mark put his hand on his chin as if he was thinking. Haechan reached forward and gave his forehead a playful flick.

“Whatever, letter boy. How do we open these bottles?”

“There’s a bottle opener in the cooler. Have you ever used one before?” Haechan shook his head. “Okay, well I’ll demonstrate.” Mark reached in the bag and took the small metal tool out of it. In one deft motion he positioned it and twisted his hand up. The cap came off with a spurt of air and Haechan let out an impressed hum.

“Want to open your own?” Mark asked. Haechan nodded. His eyes had that familiar glaze of curiosity that appeared whenever he learned something about humans. Mark handed him the bottle opener and he fumbled with it in his hand, trying to remember how to put it over the cap correctly. Mark offered help but was off course shrugged off. After all, when did the almighty Haechan ever ask for help with things like this?

Eventually he figured out the correct position for the little metal tool. He tried to copy the same expert motion that Mark had done but ended up jerking his hand up a little too fast, causing it to slip. His fingers scraped against the edge of the cap and he yelped. “Ow!” He shoved his thumb in his mouth, glaring at the little red cap.

“Woah, hey, are you okay?” Mark asked. Donghyuck nodded, removing the finger from his mouth to speak.

“Yeah, it’s just a little cut. I’m fine.” He scowled at his thumb. Blood was beginning to bead on it, right where a new scrape had appeared. It stung slightly, and he could feel his pulse amplified on the area of the cut, throbbing muted but nonetheless uncomfortable.

“Hey,” he heard Mark say. He looked up and had to suppress a laugh. His boyfriend was now holding a bandaid in his hand, a little white thing decorated with brown teddy bears. The bears were smiling up at the two, completely oblivious. “Put this on,” Mark nudged.

“Where did you even get that?” Donghyuck questioned. He was met with a shrug.

“I told you, I cut my hand a lot. I’ve gotten used to just carrying them around.”

Donghyuck didn’t move. “Come on,” Mark insisted. “I’ll help you.” He took his hand gently and unwrapped the bandaid. Donghyuck said nothing, only staring at Mark as he worked.

He was so gentle, it was as if Donghyuck’s hand was a wounded animal that was being treated. Mark’s lips were locked in a pout as he put the bandage on. The first time Donghyuck had seen that pout was as Mark had tied one of his braids earlier that summer when it had come undone. Since then Donghyuck had come to recognize it as a habit the boy did whenever he was concentrating on something, and though he would never admit it, he had come to love that little pout. He chuckled to himself.

“What was that laugh for?” Mark asked. Donghuyck waved him off with a smirk.

“Ah, I just can’t believe I fell for such a dork. You’re making me all soft too, ugh, Jaemin would be so disappointed.”

“That’s not very nice,” Mark said with a smile. His smile was warm, it matched the muffled sound of the waves and the lazy calm of afternoon sun. It was simple and comforting, just as smiles should be.

“Well it’s true. You write letters to a magical creature, you planned a secret picnic today, and you carry childish bandages around everywhere. Seriously, this one has teddy bears on it, that’s so dorky.” He reached out and poked Mark on the nose lightly. “I like it though. It’s cute.”

Mark blinked in dumbfounded surprise at Donghyuck’s fingertip on his nose. “And,” the mermaid added, “you make that stupid face whenever you get surprised. It’s is the dorkiest thing I’ve ever seen.”

“I don’t do that.”

“Yes you do! You just did it now!” He poked Mark on the side of his waist, who yelped and crumpled up momentarily, face contorted in a pained smile.

“You’re ticklish,” Donghyuck realized. A sheepish grin made its way onto Mark’s face.

“Guess you found out my secret.”

“That’s mean, why didn’t you ever tell me?” He jutted his bottom lip out in a fake pout. Mark gave him a sarcastic look.

“Hm, I don’t know. Why would I hide that from a person like you?”

“I might have a guess. Was it to prevent this?” He reached out and tickled Mark, right on his stomach. The latter burst into a fit of involuntary giggles and tried to swat Donghyuck’s hand away. It didn’t work; every time he was swatted away his hand just found another part of Mark’s torso to tickle. At one point Mark squealed and flopped over in the white sand, curling in on himself as he tried to catch his breath.

“Yes,” he breathed through occasional, strangled giggles. “Yes, that’s exactly why I didn’t tell you. And look what you did, there’s sand in my hair now.” He sat up and shook his head around, causing sand to fling in all directions. Donghyuck shrieked and dove for the two open soda bottles, grabbing them and yanking them away from the mini sandstorm.

“Stop! You’re getting the Coke all sandy!” He brushed a few grains off the rim of his bottle, staring. Mark cracked a smile and rebounded that it was Donghyuck’s fault he had gotten sand in his hair in the first place. Donghuyck did his classic eye roll and said that they should drink the Coke already before it got any more sandy. Mark agreed with a nod and took one of the bottles from his hand.

Donghyuck eyed his own drink. It was almost silly how excited he was to finally try this. To most people it was just a sip of a sugary drink. But to him it was so much more than that. To him it was about the human that he’d missed for so long, the one he had spent entire afternoons thinking about. It was about Haechan, the name given to him by that very human in one of these bottles. If he was any more of a romantic he supposed he’d say it was love that made Coca-Cola so fascinating to him.

He raised the bottle to his lips and took a sip. The drink cooled his mouth, fizzing on his lips and tongue. It was sweet, but not in the same way ice cream was. This sweet was more energetic, it wanted you to get up and jump around and play. It was perfect, the embodiment of his own personality.

A grin lit up his face. “I love it.” Mark cracked a wide smile to match Donghyuck’s.

“I’m glad. Now try some cherries, you’re missing out.” Donghyuck let out a little hum and obeyed. The teddy bears on his thumb smiled up at him as he did.

If Donghyuck ever had to describe ‘perfect’ in the dictionary, he would have to say it was this afternoon. Sitting on the shore with Mark, laughing and eating cherries and Coca-Cola together, talking, just talking about things they’d wanted to tell each other because they still had fifteen years to catch up on, and maybe even a little kissing too.

Mark, the dorky human boy with a highly contagious laugh, who recently Donghyuck never could have dreamed he’d be together with, was now at his side, hand resting comfortably in his. They were together in what was becoming their favorite place in the world. And they were happy, both of them, they were happy and in love. Yes, this was perfect.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so this is the first time we see a little bit of hyuck’s pov! i used his actual name during that part to try to show that a little more but lmk if i should just stick to just saying haechan in the future
> 
> also school is beating my ass i have absolutely no idea when the next update will be out bc AP chemistry is giving me 0 time to write so sorry guys :(


	5. Mark, Please Just Eat your Waffle

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey yall i disappeared for a while but I'M BACK!!! school was beating my ass and i had a project that was taking up literally all of my time but i finished it so next chap wont take 2 months like this one did

“...Which obviously makes Jaemin crazy. I mean, how could he not have known that?” Haechan was saying. He was lying on the night shore with his head resting in Mark’s lap, the latter’s fingers swirling through his damp hair. Mark wasn’t really listening though, not that he wasn’t interested in the admittedly aimless conversation, he was just preoccupied with another thought that didn’t seem to want to leave his brain.

He’d been holding saying it off for a while, wanting to save Haechan from the dread. But summer was ending soon, Mark couldn’t keep it to himself any longer. He waited for a break in the story before speaking.

“Haechan, listen,” he sighed. His fingers stopped moving, they were now frozen in Haechan’s hair, but Mark hadn’t noticed. “We can’t keep doing this much longer.”

“Hm? What do you mean?” Haechan hummed from his lap.

Mark cleared his throat, rubbing the back of his neck with his free hand. “I’m going back to college soon,” he said cautiously. He paused to see Haechan’s reaction, but the mermaid’s expression didn’t change, not quite yet, so Mark continued. “It’s far away, once I leave I won’t be able to visit that often. And you don’t have a phone, I can’t even call. And I know we went like a decade and a half without seeing each other so this shouldn’t be anything we can’t handle, but that doesn’t change the fact that I’m going to miss you so much. I just… I wish there was a way that I could contact you.”

Haechan still didn’t respond yet. Despite the low lighting Mark could see how his eyes swam with hesitation. “You can say it,” he nudged. Haechan bit his lip.

“When do you leave?” he asked eventually. He said it barely over a whisper, as if being too loud would somehow make the answer more dreadful than it would’ve been originally.

“Sixteen days, not including today,” Mark deadpanned. He felt the weight on his legs shift for a moment as Haechan gave a nod. Not of agreement though, just acknowledgement. Mark didn’t agree with it either, he didn’t want to leave Haechan. A thought that had whisked across his mind a few times popped back into his head, but this time he did the foolish thing: he took it and grabbed onto it. It solidified in his brain and became known, shouting its hexes at the rest of his head, and this time he let it. He let out a small breath. _If only Haechan had legs…_

Haechan with legs. How absurdly perfect that would be, it would solve all their problems. If it were reality, Mark and Haechan could see each other every day without being restricted to the shore in the dark, they’d be able to text and, on certain occasions when one of them felt especially down, even call each other. They could spontaneously choose to go driving and explore far off locations or simply go on walks together in town, and Mark could show Haechan the ice cream shop and the nearby record store and that one little park that everyone always walked their dog to, and the two could sit in that one tree there that was perfect to climb. Haechan could even meet all of Mark’s friends. If Haechan was human, they wouldn’t have to go months without even hearing each other’s voices.

Oh, that last thought sent a pang through Mark’s heart. There it was, he knew the poison would seep out of that thought eventually.

Something yellow flashed in the corner of his eye, breaking him out of his daydream. He jerked in the direction it came from, afraid that it was the light of someone’s flashlight. When he turned however, there was nothing. That was strange, he was sure there was something there. “Did you see that?” he asked Haechan, who seemed weirdly and completely unbothered.

“See what?”

“The flash. It was a bright yellow, just like…” He paused. Why did that light seem so familiar? He scanned the empty beach, searching for a glimpse of the sunny yellow that he was sure he’d seen. Wait, _sunny yellow,_ that was it. “I saw it in a dream once.”

Haechan gave him a puzzled look, squinting up at him in the dimness. Mark paid no attention to him, his mind was already somewhere else. He had completely forgotten about the strange dream he had had at the cove. Seeing the flash was like a slap, like something had gone into his brain and wrenched curtains down that he didn’t even know were covering the memory.

It all came racing back to him, the floating orb, the stormy ocean, the old carved stone in the murk at the bottom of the sea. And with the memory also came a cautious, foreboding feeling. Like when a storm looms over the horizon, causing hairs to prickle up on arms and the back of the neck. The feeling was like that, like an incoming storm.

“Hey, earth to Mark.”

Mark blinked. Haechan was snapping his fingers in his face, trying to get his attention. Mark grabbed his hand and pushed it away gently, scolding that its owner almost hit him in the face. “I should have just done that from the start,” was the response before Haechan turned serious. “Something’s up with you though. I can tell. You just zoned out after you mentioned that dream. You had this weird look on your face too, like, I don’t know, it was just… strange.”

Mark tried to wave him off. “It was just a dream, I’d forgotten about it and that flash made me remember, that’s all. It’s not important.”

Haechan sat up slightly, using his elbows to lean on for support. “Oh, but I think it is. You’ve only looked that serious once, on that night we first kissed.” He said before easing back in Mark’s lap. “And hey, you’re probably right; that dream might not mean anything, but you seemed pretty disturbed a few seconds ago. You really look like you want to say more.”

Mark sighed. “Fine.” He leaned back slightly, engraving the view of the twinkling stars into his head, and told Haechan everything he could remember about the dream. It didn’t take long but when he finished he could swear the mermaid seemed almost… anxious. “What’s up with that look?” Mark questioned. “Is this an omen in mermaid land or something?”

Haechan sat up and searched Mark’s eyes. “You said you forgot about it until a few minutes ago?” Mark nodded, not sure why this was suddenly so serious. It was a _dream_ for God’s sake. It was just a jumble of thoughts that his own brain had made up, nothing more. “And what made you remember it?” Haechan pressed.

Mark threw a skeptic look Haechan’s way, and was only met with a demand to answer the question. He did, but not unwarily. “When I saw the flash.”

“What were you thinking about before you saw the flash?” Haechan’s eyes were almost wild, did Mark see a flicker of desperation in them?

“I was… it was just wishful thinking… I was just daydreaming about if you had legs.”

The wild look in Haechan’s eyes evaporated, replaced by something close to ecstasy. He pumped his fist in the air and whooped, his yell soaked up by the dark summer waves. Mark sat in confusion. “You’re acting really weird right now, Haechan.”

“No, don’t you see?” the mermaid responded with a breathy laugh. “We can do that! It’s possible!”

Now Mark was even more confused. “Do what? Slow down and explain.” He waited for to Haechan compose himself the best he could, which apparently wasn’t that much because the boy was still practically bouncing up and down in the sand.

“Your dream, it was a hint. That stone you saw, and the orb too, they’re both a form of ancient magic,” Haechan said with a grin. Mark stared. He waited for the punchline, for the _haha, tricked you!_ but it never came.

“You’re serious?” he realized. Haechan nodded.

“The stone has been around for a long time, pretty much since the beginning of mermaids. Its powers are mostly unknown but we do know it’s able to perform out-of-this-world spells. But this has to be one of them, it must be able to turn mermaids into humans!”

Mark still wasn’t buying it. “That’s a pretty big leap. How are you so sure if it’s that mysterious?”

Now Haechan looked like he was getting impatient. “The light you saw. It leads you when you’re in need of the stone’s power. I know how outrageous that sounds but it’s true, has been for thousands of years. The ‘turn mermaids into humans thing’ is just speculation but think about it, why else would you remember the dream from a flash that, may I remind you, only you saw, just as you were thinking about me as a human?” Seeing Mark’s uneasiness he added, “This doesn’t happen randomly. It’s magic, I can feel it. Trust me.”

Mark chewed on the inside of his cheek. This all seemed awfully convenient. But it wasn’t like there wasn’t another option. “Fine. Let’s say what you’re saying is possible. But there has to be a catch right? It can’t just be that simple.” 

Haechan stared him blanky for a second before his smile twitched, and then faded. Mark could practically see the color seeping out of him as shoulders drooped. Well that wasn’t very encouraging.

“Yeah.” His voice was now heavy. “The stone requires something equal in return. That’s why its powers are kind of unknown, no one wants to do the exchange.” His eyes fell to the ground, where he was digging a small crevice in the sand with his finger absentmindedly. He looked like he really didn’t want to admit whatever he was about to say, but he grunted it out anyways.

“We’d need a human in return. I could trade my tail for legs only if there was someone to do the opposite."

Mark almost swore. “Oh.” It was just one word, but they both knew what it meant. They would never get someone to agree to that, there was no hope.

“Yeah,” Donghyuck agreed with a dull voice. A wave crawled up and flooded the little ditch his fingers had made. How fitting. The two watched it retreat back to the ocean in empty silence.

“So… sixteen days,” Donghyuck eventually said. He leaned back and shifted his weight to his palms in the sand behind him. It was infuriating at how close they were, he shouldn’t have even brought the stupid stone up in the first place. He gazed at Mark, trying to absorb every small detail of him in the low lighting. It shouldn’t have been that painful to take him in.

Seeing the dreamy fashion in which he drew circles in the sand, the way he let the breeze kiss salt into his hair, how his dark eyes reflected longingly at the sea, Donghyuck nearly got mad on his behalf. It wasn’t fair that Mark had to go, he shouldn’t have to leave the sea behind. He didn’t deserve that. Mark Lee shouldn’t have to be separated from the ocean.

In that moment all the troubles and greed swelled up in Donghyuck’s mind. It wasn't fair. It wasn't fair that Mark had to go, that he would have to be away from the ocean and all of his friends for so long, it wasn't fair that he and Donghyuck wouldn't even get to see each other’s faces for months on end.

It wasn't fair that Donghyuck had a stupid fish tail. That he was stuck in the water, that he would never get to walk the pier with Mark or visit the ice cream shop or even just get the experience of what it felt like to stand on two feet, to feel the sand hug his toes as he ran down the beach. It just wasn't fair.

But he didn't say any of that. Why would he? He'd just sound whiny anyways. So instead he pushed the thoughts back down, put on his most playful smirk and said, "I guess we’ll just have to make these the best sixteen days of your life, then."

At least he still had Mark for now.

• • • • •

Mark leaned on the teal counter in the almost-freezing ice cream shop, counting down the minutes until the end of his shift as he absently listened to Yukhei make conversation with a customer at the register. It wasn’t very busy today, maybe due to the fact that it was raining. The beach and its surrounding beach-targeted shops weren’t exactly top destinations to go to in the rain.

Most of the time rain here came and went in the blink of an eye, usually through cloudbursts. It was phenomenal to watch, the sky would be split between a golden blue and ominus gray as the sudden storm swarmed in. Mark had seen this hundreds of times, but it never failed to intrigue him. There was something magical about how the low-bellied clouds loomed over the horizon while the sun shone merrily on the other side of the sky, like the world couldn’t quite make up its mind.

Then the world would suddenly decide that yes, it did in fact want rain, so the storm would rush in and pelt the earth, then it would be over in less than a few hours. The sun would come back out and the earth would forget the storm ever happened. Yes, that’s usually what rain was like here.

But not today though. Today the sky was just tired. It had been drizzling on and off for a few hours now and there was no permanent end in sight, the wouldn’t be until the weary clouds decided to get up and leave in the stagnant air.

These mood-dampening days were fortunately rare, today Mark supposed they just got unlucky.

“What are you thinking about?” a voice asked from right beside him. Mark jumped, he hadn’t even noticed Yukhei approaching him.

“Nothing.” Mark crossed his arms over his chest absentmindedly. “Just that this weather isn’t exactly an ideal 14th-to-last-day-here sort of day.” Yukhei let out a small chuckle.

“Yeah the rain kind of sucks, but what can you do about it, right?” he said with a shrug.

A bell tinkled and both boys snapped their heads towards the door. Mark barely had time to register a shorter figure with a head of brown hair before Yukhei jumped up and yelled, “Renjun!”

Renjun approached the counter with a smile. “That wasn’t very professional.”

“No one else is here.” Yukhei gestured to the empty shop.

It was odd without the light chatter of customers bouncing off the pink and teal walls. Right now there was only the cold hum of the air conditioner mixed with the with the light patter of rain on the roof for background sound. A very loud type of silence, if you asked Mark.

“Doesn’t stop me from telling your boss,” Renjun said with a smirk. Mark sniggered and Yukhei rolled his eyes at the empty threat.

They made small talk for a few minutes until the two people whose shifts were next showed up, cueing that Mark and Yukhei were now allowed to leave. They did, filing out of the shop into the gray street with Renjun in tow. Luckily it had stopped raining at the moment, but the clouds still hung low and stagnant overhead.

Yukhei, unfortunately, had to promptly wave goodbye and rush off to somewhere (Mark recalled he was meeting with some friends who were visiting from China or something), so Mark and Renjun were left together on the wet sidewalk.

“So, I was thinking,” Renjun started once Yukhei was out of sight, “maybe we could go out to lunch, or something?”

Mark almost stopped in his tracks. “ _What?”_

Renjun let out possibly the biggest eye roll Mark had ever seen. “Not like a date or anything, dumbass. Really, Mark, I wouldn’t be caught dead dating you.”

If any other person had said this Mark might have been offended. But knowing Renjun, and having known him for as long as Mark could remember, he knew that this was just Renjun’s way of humor. He played along anyways. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“‘It means,” Renjun hummed with a clear air of superiority, “that you’re messy. I don’t think I could date someone who is okay with wearing two different socks at the same time.”

Mark looked down at his feet, reddening slightly. Honestly he didn’t think anyone would notice, let alone care, that one of his feet was clad in red and the other blue. “I was too lazy to find the matching pairs.” He shoved his hands in his pockets and gave a listless kick at a piece of trash on the sidewalk.

“See? That’s another thing, it means you don’t fold your laundry.” Renjun poked Mark’s arm lightly, who swatted his hand away in response. “Seriously, though, I just thought it’d be nice to treat you to lunch or something, seeing that you’re going to be leaving soon.”

“Ah, so it’s out of pity, then?” This earned yet another eye roll from Renjun.

“I was thinking more of a ‘last good memory of this summer with your childhood friend,’ but if you want to see it as ‘generous young man pays for broke college student’s meal’ then be my guest.”

And that’s how the two found themselves sitting in a booth at a nearby diner, enjoying their lunches (that were actually composed of breakfast foods) as the comforting smell of coffee and syrup surrounded them. Well, really only one of the boys was enjoying his lunch.

“You’re picking at your food, Mark,” Renjun scolded lightly.

Mark looked up from the half-hearted process of mutilating his waffle. “Yeah, I guess I’m just not that hungry.”

Renjun let out a sound that conveyed something in between exasperation and concern. “You didn’t have to take up my offer, you know that, right?”

Mark nodded. “I guess I just thought doing this would distract me.” He put his elbow on the table and used his palm as a chin rest, staring out the window of the comfy little diner.

It had started to drizzle again. Light raindrops fell out of the sky outside. They were as monotone and depressing as the clouds they came from. Mark stared at the insipid scene for a while, eyes becoming unfocused as he watched the murky puddles form in divots in the street. He let out a sigh. “I’m ruining this, aren’t I?” he asked, a knowing grin spreading across his face. “Now your last summer memory of me is going to be me stabbing my lunch and whining like a toddler.”

Renjun cracked a smile to match Mark’s. “If it is, then I guess I’ll have something to tease you about while you’re in school.”

Before he could say anything else the waitress came by, asking if they needed anything. Once she had left Renjun leaned forward in his seat. The corners of his mouth were now tilted down in a slight frown. “But, Mark, I’m going to be honest. I offered lunch today because you’ve seemed pretty off lately, I thought maybe you’d want to talk.”

“Aha, so this was out of pity!” Mark brandished his fork triumphantly at Renjun, who had to dodge a bit of waffle that flew off of it. “I knew it.”

Renjun put his hands up lightly in surrender. “Fine, you were right. I guess I just didn’t want you to still be bothered by whatever’s going on when you go back to college.”

Mark let out a defeated chuckle. “That’s very nice of you but you can’t help; college is the problem.” He twirled his fork around in his hand, searching for a way to explain without revealing too much. “It’s not necessarily that I don’t want to go, I just don’t want to leave someone that’s here behind.” He bit his lip. Was that explanation enough? He glanced at Renjun.

Renjun was waiting patiently, circling his finger around the rim of his cup as he gave Mark a poised stare. Though he wasn’t prodding, Mark could tell he wanted him to elaborate. And Mark decided he did want to elaborate, it wasn’t like he could go up to Yukhei and tell him that he was dating a guy with a fish tail.

Mark leaned forward slightly, enough to get a whiff of Renjun’s hot chocolate. It smelled sweet, comforting. Mark was briefly taken back to a memory of his mother holding him when he was young. They were visiting family in Canada for Christmas, the snow painted a hushed scene out the window as his family drank hot chocolate and joked together. Then the memory faded in an instant, leaving Mark with a warm fuzzy feeling a sudden longing. A longing to be snuggled up from the winter in a warm blanket, sipping hot chocolate and watching cliché holiday movies with Haechan by his side.

As if they’d ever get that opportunity.

“Do you remember when I told you about Haechan earlier this summer?” Renjun gave a little nod. “Well, I guess you were right,” Mark said, “I have a mermaid boyfriend now.”

Renjun’s eyes widened but Mark didn’t notice, he had pulled his phone out and was focused on searching for something in his camera roll. “I realized that I never showed any proof to you, though,” he said as he scrolled through the photos. “About mermaids, I mean.”

Finally, he got to the one he wanted, a selfie from about a month ago he had taken with Haechan, Jeno, and Jaemin. He the phone to Renjun.

Renjun picked his phone up delicately and let out a short gasp upon seeing what was on the screen. He brought the phone closer to his eyes and examined the picture, his face unreadable. “There’s a video too, it’s the next slide,” Mark said. The video, Mark knew, was a very shaky thing filmed by Jaemin, who had snatched his phone out of his hands and started recording.

Renjun’s finger moved across the screen and Mark could hear the faint sound of Jaemin’s voice happily screaming, followed by his own yell and Haechan’s laugh. When the video ended, Renjun looked up, mouth slightly agape. He looked almost dazed.

“But here’s the thing,” Mark said, “I don’t want to leave Haechan. There is apparently a way to turn Haechan human but it’s… it won’t work.”

“Why?” Renjun still wasn’t completely out of his daze, his eyes kept drifting back to Mark’s phone screen that now lay on the table.

“It’s this magic stone thing y’see, apparently it can do spells and stuff, but to do this specific one it requires someone in return. Haechan can’t turn into a human unless another human is willing to turn into a mermaid.” Mark fell back to stabbing his waffle with his fork, biting his lip in defeat.

Renjun picked up the phone again, staring at the picture with such… well, Mark didn’t even know what emotion it was. But eventually he looked up slowly, and stared Mark dead in the eyes. “I’ll do it.”

He said it so suddenly and unexpectedly that it took Mark a full five seconds to process. “What?”

“I’ll do it. I’ll become a mermaid.”

Mark stared. “You’re serious?” Renjun nodded. “But your friends, your family—how could you… why…?”

Renjun just ignored him. “The pink and blue haired ones, their names are Jaemin and Jeno, right?”

Mark’s eyes widened. “How did you—how did you know that?” Renjun glanced back at the photo and a small smile tugged at the corner of his lips.

“I guess it’s my turn to share something. I’ve met them.”

Mark’s jaw dropped. “No way.” He searched Renjun for any hint that he was joking. There was nothing, not a single ounce of mischief in his eyes.

“It was when I was really young, probably about the same time you met Haechan. Do you remember how my family used to do those stupid photoshoots?” he asked. Mark nodded. “It was right after one of those. We were outside, I remember I was in that little sailor outfit, the wind blew my hat off and I went to chase after it. I followed it down to the beach and there they were, just sitting in the shallows. I approached them and we talked for a bit. I found that one of them had hurt his hand. It wasn’t much, just a scrape, but I wanted to help. I went back to get a bandage but my parents wouldn’t let me return to the beach, and I haven’t seen them since.

“I’ve been wanting so badly to see them again, I don’t even know why, I just… they were so _beautiful.”_ He trailed off, staring in a sort of unfocused wonder at his cocoa.

“Why didn’t you ever tell me?” Mark asked.

Renjun shrugged. “I don’t know, I guess I didn’t feel like I needed to, you knew they were real without me saying anything.”

Mark leaned back in his seat, taking in Renjun with wide eyes. “You are… you’re insane, that’s what you are. How are you okay with doing this out of nowhere? You have to abandon everything.”

“It does seem stupid, doesn’t it?” Renjun took a sip of his hot chocolate, gaze drifting to the gray rain outside. “But tell me, how did you feel when you finally saw Haechan again, on the night he saved you?”

Well that was an easy question. “I felt complete,” Mark said. “Seeing him was thrilling.” _I wanted to run away with him without a second thought._

Oh, that was why Renjun was doing this.

Mark’s shoulders relaxed, mind drifting involuntarily to Haechan. “I get it now,” he said softly. Renjun hummed in recognition. Then Mark cracked a grin. “You are one daring soul, Huang Renjun. This is the craziest thing you’ve done by far.”

Renjun chuckled. “Yeah, I’d say this is pretty up there. You’ll still bring me free ice cream in the summers, right?”

Mark laughed. “You’re saving my lovelife, I think you deserve more than a little bit of ice cream every now and then.”

“So it’s settled then. Now you can actually eat your waffle instead of playing with it like a five year old.”

The rest of the afternoon flew by, filled with lots of jokes from Renjun, Chenle and Jisung fighting over videogames yet again, and the best waffle Mark had ever tasted.

Mark still couldn’t believe how smoothly everything had fallen into place, maybe it was destiny or something. But destiny or not, things were looking up, and he couldn’t have been happier. He couldn’t wait to tell Haechan.


	6. This Calls for a Sleepover

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> you can blame the first 3 paragraphs on me listening to white ferrari as i started writing

Soft music floated up from the car’s radio, swirling around Mark and Renjun in faint tendrils. The boys were both silent, neither sure of what to say. So much had happened recently, and so much, they knew, would happen, both just concluded that the soft voice of Frank Ocean in between them was enough. Neither spoke what was on both of their minds, that this was probably Renjun’s last time in a car, but it was the only thing they could think of as Mark’s car zoomed down the orange-lit road.

It was sunset; gold dipped rays fell out of the sky and kissed everything they touched, leaving a warm aftertaste behind. It floated through the air, surrounding it in a citrus tinge. Soon the sun would disappear below the horizon, and the next time it rose, Mark thought as he pulled the car over and parked it near the jutting rocks of a cliff (for there was a hidden beach below), Haechan would be there to see it, standing on legs.

Neither made a move to leave the car at first. The music played softly on, ignoring the tension in the air. Renjun cleared his throat, unsure. “I’m going to miss you,” was all he said.

And suddenly it was that afternoon all over again.

_I’m going to miss you,_ Renjun had said to Chenle and Jisung. He and Mark had explained everything to them. And whether Chenle and Jisung believed them or not, it was clear they understood that Renjun was leaving.

Not forever, he wasn’t dying, he was just moving away.

Away from his friends, his family, even the little sunlit office room that he’d called his art studio for almost ten years. Renjun was moving away, he would have to start all over.

Are you sure you want to do this?” Mark started abruptly. “You have to abandon your whole life, Renjun. _Everything._ ” He clenched the steering wheel so hard that his knuckles started turning white. “I want this so bad for Haechan and I, but god, it just feels like I’m ripping your life away.”

A pause. Renjun reached out and turned off the music slowly. Silence filled its space, accompanied by the muffled rush of waves just beyond the car doors, below the cliff. When he spoke, it was soft.

“Nothing is your fault, Mark. I’m doing this because I want to.” He gave a little smile, and it was genuine. “So please just enjoy what you and Haechan are getting, there’s no need to worry about me.” And that was that.

Mark nodded, opening the car door slowly. The soft breaking of waves rushed into his ears as he did, a steady pulse. Renjun followed, and they made their way down the cliff on a narrow side path, the wind sweeping their hair into messy cowlicks as they went. The rosey sea waited for them at the beach below.

By the time they got to the shore the sun had almost disappeared. The last traces of it hung just above the horizon, searing the sky with a vivid orange. Something moved under the waves, and suddenly Haechan’s head popped out of the water. His hair matched the burn of the setting sun. Bathed in deep amber and grinning wildly as he called Mark’s name, he was as breathtaking as ever. Mark had the sudden violent urge to run into the water and kiss him right on the spot, but he held himself back for Renjun’s sake.

In truth, Renjun might not have even noticed if Mark and Haechan started attacking each other in front of his eyes. He was too busy scanning the gold-tipped water. His heart pounded against his ribcage, thumping in his ears as loud as the waves crashing in front of him. _Will they be here?_ His mind whirled, getting pushed and pulled in a hundred different directions by his heart. _Mark said they would be here._

A shimmer caught his eye, right near the spot where Haechan had come out of the water, and Renjun snapped towards it. One second later and a boy with pastel pink hair, softened by the amber sunset, emerged. A second boy followed, this one with sky-blue hair and a little mole right below his right eye. Renjun’s breath caught in his throat. _They’re here._

He couldn’t speak, couldn’t get himself to move. He was stuck standing at the edge of the shore, undoubtedly looking very small in the shadow of the cliff. The waves rushed in his ears and the wind whisked his hair towards the tangerine sky. All he did was stand and stare.

Jeno noticed him first. He turned and shook Jaemin’s arm, pointing at Renjun and saying something, jittery. Within a second Jaemin locked eyes with Renjun as well, mouth dropping open in shock.

The three stared at each other for a moment, taking in and remembering and embracing a shared memory from over 15 years ago. From Mark and Haechan’s point of view, each wore the same mesmerized expression, one with glazed eyes and stolen breaths that would soon give into smiles that were just beneath the surface.

“It’s you…” Jeno stuttered out. Jaemin couldn’t speak yet, he was trying but his mouth just twitched in silence. Renjun let out a breathy sound, one that had realized years of waiting in bated wonder were finally over, and stumbled into the ocean.

He tackled the two mermaids with more force than should’ve been possible, and they caught him and hugged back, laughing and cheering. After the hug finally broke, Renjun felt like a part of him that he didn’t even know was missing had been returned. He was whole again.

But not quite, there was still one thing he had to do. He reached into his pocket. He pulled out a bandaid, a pink one patterned with white polka-dots, and held it out to Jaemin. “I told you I’d get you a bandage.”

Jaemin reddened. “It was just a little scrape,” he protested. “It didn’t even scar.” But he held out his hand anyways, letting Renjun put a pink bandaid on a cut that his palm had forgotten about long ago. And just like that, it was done. A promise uttered over a decade ago was finally fulfilled. The wind and ocean, witnesses, took it and whisked it away, off to whichever mystical place it was that completed promises went.

They stayed at the beach until dusk, content to watch the final sliver of the crimson sun disappear under the horizon. Haechan rested his head on Mark’s shoulder, sighing with content as they watched the ruby tipped waves fade to twilight blue. Renjun, Jeno, and Jaemin were talking in warm tones somewhere behind them. Their voices mixed with the hush of the water on the sand and faded into the summer breeze with a sigh.

It was as perfect as it could get, but the moment ended too soon. A few minutes later the group found themselves venturing below the waves, Mark and Renjun’s mouths now tainted with the sour tinge of the water breathing plant. Their journey wasn’t over yet.

Haechan lead them to the stone, never once faltering with directions. The group kept busy by talking about just anything they could. At a certain point, when the navy waters shifted colors to an almost mossy green and the temperature dropped a few degrees, their cheerful mood shifted to one of suspense. They were close.

A few minutes later and they reached the stone. It appeared out of the gloom, glowing with the same faded green light that Mark saw in his dream. This time there was no sunny orb, Haechan floated in the place where it had been.

“This is the place,” Mark said, rather unhelpfully, holding back a shiver. It was cold here, these waters probably hadn’t seen the sun in years. It made the hair on the back of his neck stand up, he hadn’t been able to sense this in his dream.

Dour, Haechan swam up to the stone. It was coated in grime from years of disuse, which he wiped off with his palm in one swift movement. He turned back to the other four. “Well, are you ready Renjun?”

Renjun, looking very small nestled between Jeno and Jaemin, gave a little nod. He swam forward slowly, eyeing the stone warily as he approached it. “How do we do the spell anyways? This thing looks like it’ll kill me if we mess up .”

“It won’t.” Haechan said. “At least, I don’t think it will. Its magic uses desire to work, the spells arise off of what people most want. So unless you really desire death right now, I don’t think it’ll kill you. As for how the spell works, it’s pretty simple. You and I both touch the stone and just—how do I explain this—basically, just think. We think about what we want it to give us, like,” he pointed at himself,” legs, and,” then pointed at Renjun, “a tail. If we do it right then apparently you’ll feel this pull, or something, and then the spell will be cast.”

Renjun shrugged. “Sounds easy enough.” He inched closer, Haechan read his face and did the same. They both put their hands on the newly grimless stone. Haechan looked back at Mark and smiled, a pleasant smile, a hopeful one. Mark smiled back, and Haechan closed his eyes.

Nothing happened at first. Mark, Jeno, and Jaemin waited in the murky silence. No one spoke, the air of caution was too strong, like something would go wrong if they did. So they just waited with chewed lips and bated breath, as still and silent as the green haze of the sea around them.

Swirled in cold, dim water at the bottom of the ocean, Donghyuck had one thought in his mind. And that thought was Mark. The boy that worked in a little ice cream shop and snuck scoops of strawberry ice cream to him. The boy that, for years, wrote letters to a mermaid, unknowingly causing said mermaid to fall in love with him with each letter he wrote. Donghyuck thought about the boy that was so innocently fascinated by him that he compared him to the sun. The boy who shared Coca-Cola with him on a hot summer day, who hummed little songs in his ear as they sat on the shore and watched the moon, and who didn’t mind the fact that Donghyuck’s kisses were salty.

If Donghyuck’s eyes were open, they would have gone unfocused. His head throbbed, and then the pain was gone just as fast as it came. Everything else faded with it, taking him away from the stone, away from the night and the cold and the green waters. He was floating, drifting aimlessly in a sea of white, seeing and feeling everything. The Earth, its lives and fires and stories, he sensed and saw all of it in the white. It burned into the back of his eyes and left him breathless, but he couldn’t look away. A warm tingle climbed up his legs, surrounding them and growing to an almost burning hot. But not quite.

Renjun appeared in front of him. They locked eyes. A whirl of color, a flash of ancient light, and then… 

Donghyuck started choking. Something cold and heavy was pushing on his throat, on his lungs. He coughed. It wouldn’t leave. He opened his eyes, but his vision was dark. He only got the vague sense of green fuzzing into the corner of his eyes as his lungs cried out with every passing millisecond. Hysteria flooded his mind. He thrashed, trying to see, trying to hear, trying to breathe. Something had gone horribly wrong.

A voice pushed against his eardrums, muffled and urgent. “Haechan!” it was saying, shaking with panic. _Mark._

Donghyuck tried to call back, but the water wouldn’t let him. It just pushed down with its frigid weight, crushing any sound before he could even open his mouth. He reached out, flailing his arm out blindly for Mark. A hand grabbed it, massaging his thumb with a finger.

Something moved across the green. Donghyuck felt something touch his chin. It coaxed his numb mouth open and put something on his tongue. The thing was sour and slimy.

Mark was saying something else, repeating the phrase over and over again. Donghyuck shook his head; he couldn’t understand it. His limbs felt tingly again. His body was tired, it wanted a nap. He dully thought that maybe a nap wasn’t such a bad idea right now.

The world ripped. Jeno and Mark’s face appeared in his vision, both holding onto him and looking very pale. Mark, shouting, had a panic in his eyes that Donghyuck had never seen before. It was crazy and desperate, it had a fragile light in it that threatened to shatter at any second.

Donghyuck blinked. Mark’s voice rang clear, loud and resonant. “Eat the seaweed!”

The seaweed. Donghyuck’s sluggish brain tried to think of what that meant. Then the sour taste of the thing in his mouth flashed back into his mind and—oh! The water-breathing plant! Donghyuck bit down. It squelched disgustingly and he cringed, but he kept chewing, ignoring his screaming lungs. He managed to get a bite down, along with a mouthful of saltwater, but it was enough. His chest rose and fell, now taking in the water with ease like it did before.

“Mark,” he stuttered out. He got a glimpse of Jeno sighing with relief before Mark threw his arms around him. Donghyuck couldn’t tell if he was laughing or sobbing.

“God, you scared me,” he said, trying to steady his heaving breaths in Donghyuck’s arms. Donghyuck’s own breathing evened too, his panic slowly fuzzing away with each steady breath.

“You weren’t responding to us, we didn’t know what was wrong.”

“I couldn’t hear,” Donghyuck admitted, “I couldn’t see either, and then it just… cleared up.” 

At this Mark broke the hug, scanning him cautiously. “But you’re okay now, right?” The fragility in his eyes flickered back.

“Yes, I’m fine now, don’t worry.” He took one of Mark’s hands with both of his, squeezing it for reassurance and giving one of his classic smirks, just for good measure.

“It must’ve just been a weird side effect of the spell,” Donghyuck heard Renjun’s voice say. He couldn’t actually see him because Mark, hovering over him, was still blocking his vision. “It happened to me too, but it wasn’t as extreme as you.”

Right, _the spell._ In the midst of drowning Donghyuck had completely forgotten. There was something indescribable about realizing all of his hopes and dreams were right below his face, and all he had to do was look down to see his fate. A dizzying mix of euphoria and terror, an equal amount of smiles and _what if_ ’s.

At this moment Renjun appeared in his field of vision. His previously caramel hair had brightened to a soft blond. Something on him glinted in the low lighting. Despite the ugly green tinge of the waters around them, it was clear the scales were a bright pastel purple. Renjun had a tail. A shining, spring-purple tail. And that meant—

Donghyuck swore he felt his heart stop as he looked down at his own hips. The gold scales were gone, instead the extra pair of swim trunks Mark had brought was around his waist. And below that were legs. Real, beautiful, human legs.

“It worked,” he breathed. “It really…” His vision drifted back up to Mark, who was grinning wildly. “I have legs!” Donghyuck cried out. A bubble of pure joy pushed against his chest and burst out of him as breathy laughter.

He launched himself off the ocean floor and gave Renjun the warmest hug he could, cheering. “We did it! Renjun, we—it worked! Oh my god, thank you! Thank you so much.”

Renjun returned the hug, chattering excitedly with Haechan about his new tail. “Look! It’s purple. Oh, it’s so pretty, I can’t believe it—” Mark let his voice fade out as Jeno and Jaemin approached him, letting Haechan and Renjun have their moment.

“You take care of him,” Jeno said to Mark. His eyes were on Haechan.

“I should say the same with you,” Mark shot back playfully. Though he knew Renjun would be just fine.

“What? You don’t expect us to take care of an innocent little mermaid?”

“Well I don’t expect _Jaemin_ to.” Mark had to dodge a smack from the accused mermaid. “Seriously though,” he dropped his eyes to the muddy sand, guilt creeping up into his mind, “He likes to paint. I think he’s gonna miss that the most.”

Jeno hummed in acknowledgement. And then, after a moment, “Other than us, I don’t think there’s a thing Donghyuck will miss. He’s always been more fascinated with humans than anything else, I think life with you is basically his destiny.”

Mark knew “Haechan” wasn’t his boyfriend’s real name, but hearing “Donghyuck” spoken out loud was almost jarring. He wondered which name the world would remember. Mark’s gaze drifted back up Haechan, still laughing and shouting with Renjun.

Just like Renjun, his hair had changed. The shocking cherry red had faded, leaving only a sliver of a rose tint in a sea of golden brown. The fiery sun had set, leaving only a much warmer, subtle tint of dusk. Mark knew the spark wasn’t really gone, it was just hidden in the twinkle of his eyes and the corners of his lips now.

“Well?” Mark’s train of thought was broken by Renjun approaching. “What do we do now?”

“We get out of here,” Jaemin said. “This place gives me the creeps.”

The swim back was slow. Renjun got a hang of his new tail fairly quickly, but Haechan didn’t have as much luck with his legs. He couldn’t seem to get used to controlling two separate limbs below his hips, evident by his uncoordinated and weak kicks. Jaemin had an awful lot of fun teasing him, which only increased when Mark had to resort to carrying him on his back after he became too tired. Ironically, Haechan seemed to cling to Mark tighter with every “Shut up Jaemin” that left his mouth.

By the time they got back to the shore, the moon was high in the sky. The waves lapped quietly on the sand, swaying gently to its silver rays as a calm breeze fluttered through the few nearby palm trees. The world was hushed and twinkling. It was peaceful. It was a recharging breath in the quiet sleepiness of the night.

Mark breathed with the waves, taking in the salty air and the winking joy of the stars peppered across the sky. Haechan, now detached from Mark’s back, was quiet, staring up at the moon with fresh eyes. Its light went rather well with his sunny stature; the silver gleam brought out the rose in his hair and the pink on his lips.

And then those pink lips were on Mark’s. The moment a quiet flame thriving off of the hushed world. The glimmering moon, the yawning waves, and the sleepy night breeze, all in one. Yes, this was it, all in one soft cherry kiss.

Jeno and Jaemin whooped and cheered for them upon witnessing this, but neither Mark nor Donghyuck heard. They were both too absorbed in the wonder of the night and each other to notice.

Haechan pulled away after a moment, gazing into Mark’s eyes. He didn’t say anything, only gave a sweet, honey smile. A smile that said everything. They had done it, they were together now and they could go on all the adventures they had spent the summer dreaming of.

Mark glanced back at the little path leading back up the cliff. It was late, much too late to drive home, he was too tired. Haechan seemed to realize that as well, he had given one tired glance behind him and flopped down in the sand. The waves lapped at his foot and ankle but he didn’t seem to notice or care.

“What do you guys think of a sleepover?” he asked slowly, eyes closed. “I don’t want to learn how to walk right now. I’m too tired.”

Mark chuckled, making his way over where Haechan was. He sat down and ran his fingers through his boyfriend’s damp hair, tying and untying little braids in it. “I wouldn’t mind a sleepover.” And then, glancing up at Jeno, Jaemin, and Renjun, "What about you guys?"

Jaemin spoke for them, somehow still having the energy to give one of his classic dazzling grins. His voice betrayed him, though. Raw and just slightly slurred, it was clear how exhausted he was. How they all were. “A sleepover sounds nice,” he sighed out.

And so it was decided.

Mark laid down next to Haechan. The latter squirmed towards him and burrowed into his chest, sighing happily. His legs found their way tangled in Mark’s, and oh, they could do that now. A sleepy grin forced its way onto Mark’s face. Lying in the sand, with Haechan at his chest and the ocean’s voice in his ear, he closed his eyes. He let go of all the worries and the _what if_ ’s, because right now they were here. They were here, together, and Haechan had legs.

The moon saw them fall asleep. It watched, peaceful, as each boy fell into a content slumber on the quiet shore. It saw Renjun, the last one awake, smile up at it, like he did each night, before he turned and laid down in the water. The moon watched over them, and in the morning, as coral and blond hues coaxed out the light blue in the sky, it knew the sun would see them too.

The sun would rise up and bathe them in golden light. The palm trees would rustle in the morning breeze and the ocean would be as playful as always. And when it was time for the boys to wake up, they would be happy.

It would be a new day, and the next part of their adventure would begin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so that is the end to this au. i tried to conclude as much as i could and i hope the ending was good!!
> 
> ok and now for the autobiography and sappy stuff so click away pls before this gets any more boring:  
> i was actually in the middle of writing another au when i got the idea for this one. i temporarily ditched the other one bc i didn’t think this would be more than 3 chapters and never imagined it would take this long to write lmao. this definitely isn’t a novel but i think that 23k words were all that were needed to tell this story. anyways if you’ve made it this far then sincerely thank you so much for enjoying cherries in the summer, its legit so cool to know that ppl actually read this bruh. love you guys :)  
> ok thats it hopefully i’ll stop being PUSSY and post the other thing ive working on (hint: 7dream fantasy au ahaha) but that might take a while. so until then take care yall :)


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